Dreams And Proclamations
by Copperpelt
Summary: It's been years after a nuclear war broke out, and a group of survivors created a small City. One, in which, Alice and her grandfather live in. But when she runs across an Outcast boy in the Wastelands, there is a change brewing in the winds. R&R PLZ!
1. The Fence And Its Rules

_Alice_

The bedsprings in my old mattress groaned when I sat up after my night's rest. As I looked out of the window, I sighed. It was just another day our City; gray skies, smoke rising out in the distance, and dead trees everywhere. "Alice? Are you awake yet?" asked my grandfather from, most likely, the kitchen.

"Yes. I'll be there in a minute," I replied back to him. I walked across my old, dust-ridden room, and over to a wood chest that rested on the floor. Dust had already accumulated on the top. I pulled up on the rusted metal handle, and stared down at my clothes. On the top, was one of my favorite purple dresses, and it shown the wear and tear from its use.

Not feeling up to digging around in the chest for something else to wear, I took the purple dress out and tossed it on my bed. The ends of it were tattered, and it desperately needed to be fixed by the local tailor before it fell apart. There wasn't anything fancy about it; it was just a basic purple linen dress. I slipped out of my nightclothes, and into the dress.

I then reached under my bed and pulled out my white flats, then put them on. This was everyday attire for me, and almost everyone else in the City. I skipped over to the other side of my room, and looked in the large shard of glass that was my mirror.

The jagged edges would easily cut me if I touched them, so I stayed a safe distance away from them. I straightened my orange hair to where it looked decent, then left my room. The walk from my room to the kitchen wasn't a long one at all. It was pretty much right there.

Sure enough, my grandfather was sitting at our small, round wood table. A warm cup of coffee sat next to him. I pulled out one of the wobbly chairs, and sat down across from him. He smiled and said, "I see you finally decided to get up." I rolled my eyes and said back to him, "I've been up for a while, Grandfather. I was just getting dressed."

He chuckled. "I know, Alice. Do you have any plans for today?" I blinked, and shook my head. "No. Why? Do you need something done?" My grandfather was getting up in his years, and it was difficult for him to get around town and run everyday errands. So, I did them for him.

It saved him a lot of trouble, and gave me a reason to get out of our house. It wasn't like I didn't like our house, since it was the place that I pretty much grew up in. It was just that it was so old and small. Then again, all the homes in the City were like this; old roofs practically caving in on themselves, breaks in the windows, and holes in the floors.

They certainly were designed for humans to live in, much less vermin. But what more could we ask for? Even the homes that belonged to the city's wealthiest weren't much better than the ones that belonged to us. My grandfather's shaky hands pulled out a stained piece of paper.

He handed it to me and said, "It's just a few things that I need picked up and done." I took the paper and scanned the list. There wasn't anything that was out of my way; mainly just grocery runs and a few stops along the way. "This isn't any trouble for me, Grandfather."

He smiled at me and said, "Thank you, dear." He pointed over to a small jar that was resting on our old countertops and said, "Take a few dollars out of there to pay for the items on the list." I stood up from my chair, and lifted the lid off the jar. A crumpled mess of dollars and change rested at the bottom.

This was probably several months worth of savings. It was like this for all of the families in the City. Some were worse than others. I took half of the money, because I knew that prices had gone up on certain items that were already pricey.

I skipped to the door and asked my grandfather, "Are you sure this is all you want?" He nodded his head and waved his hand. "I'm sure. Now, you get going before everything gets bought out." I giggled and ran from the house and down our short gravel walkway.

The grass was dead in our yard, and everyone else's around us. The trees were black and almost dust. The only thing holding them up was probably the last remaining fibers that had yet to rot away. I stepped onto the dirt road and began walking towards the center of the City to pick up my grandfather's list.

A few people on bikes road past me from both ways, but most people were walking like I was. "Alice!" I turned around and saw one of my friends running towards me. I smiled and said, "Hey, Julie." My silver haired friend skipped up to me, wearing a cheerful smile as always.

I didn't understand how she could always stay so chipper in the world, when I struggled to just face it every morning. "What are you up to, Alice?" she asked. I held up the list and said, "I'm running errands for my Grandfather. You?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Dunno. I got out of my house for the heck of it." She was in her usual attire; old and worn out jeans that were covered with dirt, and one of her brown shirts. Julie lived around in the same area as I did, so her parents made the same income as all of us did.

Which meant that nice and new clothes were out of the question. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Julie. But I need to get this stuff before my Grandfather starts to wonder what's taking me so long." She pouted for a second, then turned back onto her perky mode.

"Alrighty! Hey, meet me up at the Courtyard when you finish up. Everyone is meeting up around there tonight to hang out. It's going to be awesome. See you there?" I thought for a moment. The Courtyard was the social meeting area for the people in my area of the City, and it wasn't uncommon for there to be parties and gathering there on a nightly basis.

"Maybe. I'll have to see if my Grandfather will let me go." Julie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he'll let you go. Well, I better let you do your errands. Bye!" She twitched off down the direction that I came from. I shook my head and went back to what I was doing.

When I arrived at the Markets, I was greeted with multiple 'hellos' from both shoppers and sellers. Since my grandfather was pretty well known in the City, that automatically meant I was as well. But it didn't mean that I got any special discounts. Nobody did.

Money was almost as scarce as food and supplies. There was just enough to get everybody by. I bought what was on my grandfather's list, and quickly made the stops that he requested. The dull sky was growing even duller as it became night.

Already, there were people around my age heading towards the Courtyard for tonight's gathering. Most nights I would stay at home and spend time with my grandfather, but I knew that there would be many people there that I hadn't spoken to or seen in a while.

It would do me some good to catch up with them. Finally when I got back home, I started to put the food items up in our cooler; a box that my grandfather had rigged up so it would keep items cold. There had been things like this in every home at one point, but not anymore.

Things from those old days were hard to come by. Occasionally, you would run across the empty shell of one that had been converted into a home for a wild animal or a fort that was built by children. My grandfather was stretched out on our ratty, dust-filled couch that was about to collapse on itself.

He had made a small fire in our fireplace. "Did you get everything on the list, Alice?" I sat on the armrest next to him and said, "Yes. Um, I was wondering if I could go down to the Courtyard tonight." He yawned and said, "Of course. I don't mind. You do so much around her already."

I smiled and hugged him gently, afraid that I'd hurt his fragile body that was aging. I didn't bother to change my clothes, seeing as it would be dark and most of the people there would be dressed almost like I was. It was already pitch dark outside as I walked past the rundown houses and their poor yards.

When I approached the Courtyard, I saw a number of faces that I knew, all of them gathered around a large fire that was built in the fire pit that was designed for this exact thing. Julie's eyes immediately found me. "Alice! Over here!" She was standing on her toes, and waving frantically.

Around her, I saw my other friends; Runo, Murucho, and Dan. They were trying to find me through the crowd of people that surrounded them. Julie made Dan move down so I could sit next to her. I mouthed an apology to Dan, who just shrugged it off as something that didn't bother him.

There was a lot of chatter around the fire, which I didn't participate in. Occasionally, Julie would drag me into a conversation, only to have me turn it around and place it on somebody else. I didn't go to this gathering to talk, but just to enjoy some company and get out.

But I really was having a good time being surrounded by people that I knew and could relate to. The hours felt like they crept by, and I started to grow hungry. I reached for my small purse, and pulled out a small piece of bread that I wrapped up. I nibbled on tiny bits to make it last.

I zoned out of a conversation again, and looked at the area across from the Courtyard. There, was a tall fence that had wooden boards wrapped up in barbed wire. On the other side, were the Wastelands. It was a vast area of land that had been destroyed, along with the rest of the world when war broke out so many years ago.

The only reason our little City existed was because of a large group of survivors gathered up what they could and began to rebuild what they once had. They then put up a fence to keep raiders from invaded the City and taking what they had started to create.

The survivors then started to built up a government, and that was when things began to change. People were going into poverty instead of prospering like they were intended to. And then they started to cast out people that did things that the Officials didn't approve of.

They became known as names such as Undesirables and Black Sheep. But the most common name was Outcasts. They were sent out into the Wastelands with no food or anything, and were expected to make it out there. Going out there, was pretty much a death sentence.

I had stopped before and peered out of the gaps in the fence, just to see what it looked like out there. I didn't get to see much before an Official pulled me away and told me to never look out there again. Since I was young, I didn't even get near that fence after that.

All I had seen was the gray ashes from the war that had leveled everything that had once been. And when I meant war, I meant nuclear of course. None of us had to worry about that anymore, since creating such weapons like that meant death.

There were almost no trees out there, except scattered clusters that were placed randomly along the landscape. Something through the fence caught my attention. It looked like an eye. I stood up and said to the others, "I'll be right back." I made my way through all of the people, and snuck past an Official that was on duty.

I peered through the loose boards in the fence, being careful not to get cut by the barbed wire. The twenty foot boards wobbled when I pressed a light hand on them; they needed to be repaired before they fell over and all heck broke loose.

I crept over to where I saw the eye, and then looked through the board. On the other side, a little girl fell back on the ground. I had startled her. She was about to get up and run off. I whispered softly, "Don't be scared." She stopped, and looked at me.

Her body was extremely thin from not eating. The clothes she wore looked homemade, but at least they matched and weren't like cheap rags. This was one of the Outcasts, but I never remembered her in the City. She had to be a child of one of the people who had been cast out.

Her eyes were locked onto the bread that I still held in my hand. I asked, "Do you want this?" She nodded her head slowly, not taking her eyes from the food. I handed the bread to her through the barbed wire. She took it with no hesitation, and began to eat away at it.

The bread was gone in no time, which there wasn't much from the start. _Good thing I didn't eat all of it._ The little girl looked up at me. I held out my hands to show they were empty. "I don't have anything else. I'm sorry." A voice way off in the distance yelled. "Sarah! Where are you?"

It sounded male, and carried just far enough to the fence, and not any further. The little girl turned towards where the voice came from, then she looked at me. I smiled and told her, "You better get going." She nodded and ran off through the Wastelands.

A hand latched on tightly to my shoulder and turned me around. An Official. His eyes were narrowed sharply at me. I asked shakily, "Is there a problem?" He looked at the fence behind me. "What were you doing at the fence." I gulped and said, "I was just taking a nightly walk."

He let go of me, and the fence shook behind me. His voice was cold and harsh when he said, "I suggest you find someplace else to walk at night, or else you'll end up out there if you keep it up. Now, get back to your home." I nodded my head and darted off to the Courtyard.

Runo saw that I must have looked scared to death. "Alice? What happened to you?" I snatched up a jacket that I brought with me as well, and put my arms through the sleeves. "I have to leave early. It was greet catching up with all of you." I ran out of there before they could protest my leaving.

I walked back into my house, only to find my grandfather asleep on the couch. I knew that he would complain about his back in the morning. I grabbed a blanket that I had knitted, and draped it over him. Then, I took the short distance back to my room and kicked my flats off of my feet.

The smooth wood was cold, so I hurried to my bed. I laid down, and stared up at the ancient looking ceiling. All that I could think about was the little Outcast girl that I gave the bread to, and how close to getting in trouble I had been.

The life that was on the other side of that rickety fence, wasn't meant to be seen by us. I couldn't help but wonder, _what else is out there?_ I turned my oil lamp off that my grandfather had lit, and forced myself to sleep.

* * *

><p>new story time :p lol. this one has been brewing in my mind for a while, and i'm happy that i'm starting on it. The story overall is based off of a song that we played for contest and soon, our concert. <em>Dreams And Proclamations by Roland Barret<em>. it's an awesome song for a band composition. :D well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	2. Life Beyond The City

_Shun_

"Sarah!" The little girl came running towards me from the direction of where the fence was. I knelt down in front of her and asked, "Where were you?" She had that guilty look on her face that told me she knew that she did something that she wasn't supposed to. "I was playing near the fence," she said sheepishly while giving me a big eyed and innocent look.

I sighed, unable to stay made at her when she did that face. "You know you're not supposed to go near that fence. Something could have happened to you, and then how would I explain that to Mrs. Christina?" Sarah held her head down and mumbled, "You're right."

I smiled and patted her on her small back. "Now, you get going back home." She nodded her head and ran off behind me. I sighed, and looked over at where the fence was. I could see the dim lights of oil lamps burning in windows. Several of them cut off at once, signaling that people the inhabited the house were turning in for the night.

I could just barely make out the shapes of Officials walking the perimeter of the fence. That was the City and all of its glory. I didn't even bother to continue to stare at what none of us could ever have. To the Citizens, we were nothing but scum and waste.

Whether we did anything wrong or not. If any children were born out in the Wastelands, then they were considered Outcasts, and would never have the chance to try and make something out of themselves. They were destined to suffer out here. I growled and walked back to our little sanctuary.

None of us were supposed to survive out here; the land was too dead and infertile to plant, there was no water, and the weather was highly temperamental. These living conditions were not meant for human life. But somehow we had made it this far, and set up our own community.

I liked not having a fence caging us in though like the one that surrounded the City. The fence made it seem like a prison, and the Citizens inside were the prisoners. Our little 'paradise' was in a cluster of trees that had been long dead.

The trunks and limbs were an unearthly black, the color of an extreme death. Sometimes the kids that ran around the town would break off pieces of the limbs, and use them as chalk. It gave them something to do, so nobody minded it.

The housed that had been built were about the same as the ones in the City. That was because when people were first being Outcasted, they gathered up materials to build their homes with once they were banished out to the Wastelands.

There weren't enough homes for all of the people out here, so many families had to share the small shacks. I walked up the creaky steps to the place that I stayed. It was considered the Outcasts' orphanage; the place where kids would go if their parents died before they could take care of themselves.

I used to be a part of it after my parents had died, but now I just stayed around to help the woman inside keep a tabs on the parentless kids. That, and it was still the place I lived since housing was so tight. I found Mrs. Christina, the woman who looked after the kids, digging through a box that we kept food in.

Food was extremely scarce; it seemed like somebody died of starvation everyday. She sighed and stood up straight. She looked very young for her age; 27 was considered old out in the Wastelands. Trying to survive everyday, took heavy tolls on the people. It aged them horribly.

The only ones with any youth on them were the kids, but that was because they didn't have to worry about finding food when the first priority was to try and keep them fed. Next to this woman, I was the only other one who had held onto some of their youth. But maybe that was because I was still young myself.

I walked up next to her and asked, "What's going on?" I knew the answer. We were most likely out of food, which mean that over ten mouths would whine tonight. She sighed. I could see the fine lines of life slowly starting to appear on her face.

For all we knew, she could look like half of the people in our community in a matter of months or even weeks. "We're going to have to find food soon," she said in a tired voice. The little that we had, was what we had been able to grow outside in a small bucket.

Which wasn't much at all. But it had kept us going for a long time. Now with the different weather patterns, even that little food source was gone. Nothing ever stays in this world. "I'll find us something tomorrow," I said to the woman. She looked up at me, confusion on her face.

She knew as well as anyone else that food out in the Wastelands didn't exist. "How are you planning on doing that?" I shrugged and said, "I'll figure something out while I'm sleeping." But I already knew what I was going to do. I was going to find a way to sneak into the City and get what I could.

I knew that if I was caught, then I'd be as good as dead and could also put the people in our 'City' in danger. But it was worth a shot to bring something with substance to the people who worked hard just to make it through another day. "Well, you just be careful, Shun," she said to me.

I was sure that Christina had a good idea what I was planning. Maybe she just didn't want to admit that things had come down to this. I walked over to my bed, and laid down. Tomorrow, I could end up either dead, or come back alive. I'd just have to hope that the cards were in my hand when I did.

_Shun_

I woke from the same dream that I had every night. It was always of my parents. They, along with other people that had died in the Wastelands, were always standing in a place that had rolling waves of green grass and blue skies. Lakes and rivers were always behind them, and songbirds sang.

This place wasn't real though. The whole world was like the Wastelands. There was no greener side to anything. Only dirt, ash, and gray. I hated my mind for putting these dreams and hopes in my thoughts. When I was younger, I used to think that such a place did exist.

That I would one day find it and take everyone else there to live a better life. But then I grew up and learned that this was our lives. I let out an aggravated sigh and got out of my bed. I was going to spend most of the day trying to find way into the City without being seen, and then I'd sneak in at night and grab what I could.

It was early in the morning, and all of the people were still asleep. So, I quietly snuck out from our home, and headed towards the fence. I stayed far out of sight, but I was close enough that I could see Officials through the wooden boards.

The fence seemed solid in the area that I was looking at, so I kept on going down. The City was pretty big for a place made up of run down homes. They had a lot more than we did; markets, hospitals, and so forth. Things that would give us extra years of life.

But did we have any of that? No. If you got sick where we lived, then you were pretty much dead. None of us had the strength to tolerate illness, seeing how weak we already were. I kept scanning the fence for any entrances that I could find.

I spotted a few, but they were in places that were too public. I would have to wait until late at night if I went through any of those openings, and time was important right now. So, that meant that I would have to keep circling the fence until I found the ideal place to go through.

_Alice_

That morning, I heard my grandfather stir in the living room. "Ow! My back!" I smiled and rolled my eyes. I had told him so many times to make sure that he didn't fall asleep on the couch. I threw my thin covers off of me; I had fallen asleep in my dress from yesterday.

Since I was already dressed, I slipped on my white flats and walked to the living room. My grandfather was holding onto his lower back. "I told you not to sleep on that couch," I said in a matter-of-fact tone. He said gruffly, "I know. I know. Could you help me up to the kitchen?"

I laughed. "Sure." I helped steady him to the kitchen, where I sat him down at the old table. I went ahead and put some coffee on, and sat down in my chair. He grimaced and said, "You may have to pick me up some pain killers. This is the worst my back has been in a long time."

Medicine was extremely expensive, but I knew many people that would donate some to me because they were friends with my grandfather. And I also knew of many underground places that I could buy from. But if I was caught down there, then all of us would go to jail.

Or get thrown to the mercy of the Wastelands. "I'll go around and ask if somebody will lend us some." He nodded his head, still holding on tightly to his lower back. I stood up and checked our cabinets, just in case that we may have had anything for pain that would give my grandfather some relief.

All we had was a small bottle of antibiotic pills that was given to everyone in the City in order to keep illness from spreading. I shut the cabinet. I grabbed my light jacket and purse. "I'm going out to try and find you something for your back. You just take it easy, Grandfather."

He nodded when I walked out of our house. I was greeted with the light gray sky of morning. I wondered if they sky was any other color other than gray. I walked around the City until it began to grow dark. Nobody had any pain killers to spare, which was surprising. _I guess things are getting tougher._

People had started to work longer hours at their work places to earn extra money so they could keep food on the table. Many of the jobs in the City were taxing and dangerous to do, but that was the only kind of jobs we had. It was the Officials idea to do this so we could build up a stronger city quicker and faster.

Not being able to find any pills, left me with the only option of going to the underground salesmen. I started towards that part of the City. Hardly anyone lived there because it was deemed unsafe by the Officials. I didn't know why though.

All I did know was that this was the place to go if you needed something cheap. Or wanted to do something illegal. No Officials even patrolled this part of the City. They all stayed away from it. I went in the house of the salesman that I was looking for.

He let me in, and graciously sold me the pain killers. He spoke for a moment. "I'm happy to see I'm getting business again. Things seem to be getting bad all over." That was all he said. I handed him the leftover money I had from yesterday's errands. He gave me the change that he owed me, and I left.

When I stepped out into the dirt streets, I was faced with the fence. A large hole was in both the barbed wire and wood. One big enough that a full grown adult could fit through with ease. Off in the distance, around where the market was, there was yelling. "Hey! Come back here!"

It was the voice of an Official, and it sounded like it was coming my way. Did they know that I was in this part of the City? I began to panic, and looked for a place to hide. I didn't want to get thrown in jail or Outcasted. Then, somebody ran into me. They knocked me over and into the dirt street, but they kept on running.

The Officials took a glance down the street that I was on. I scrambled over behind a wood crate so they wouldn't see me. They then went on their way. I sighed with relief, then began to look around for who ran into me. All I could find was the hole in the fence.

Had they gone through there in an effort to escape? I ran across the street, and peered out of the hole. Nobody was allowed past the fence. My heart was pounding in my chest. What I was about to do could get me a bullet in the back of my head if anyone ever found out.

I place my foot through the hole, and then my other one. Soon, my body was outside of the fence. I was shaking with adrenaline as I began to walk further and further away from the City. I was now in the Wastelands. The only light was from oil lamps in the City, but that didn't go very far.

I heard the sound of panting, and began to look around for the source. The person had to be hiding close to me. My foot then caught on something, causing me to fall forward and land on the dead ground. When I opened my eyes, I was face to face with a black hair boy.

His amber eyes widened when he saw me, and he jumped back. I did the same. I saw a bag next to him, and what looked like food was inside. He was quite obviously the guy who ran into me and who was running from Officials. But by his looks, he wasn't from the City.

_An Outcast._ He reminded me of the girl that I gave the bread to last night. They both had the same sad look in their eyes. He shook himself awake, then got up and began to run off. I jumped up myself, and went after him.

* * *

><p>i have the song from the title up on my profile. it's a youtube link. sadly, i wanted to use footage of our band playing it, but our dram major doesnt have any of it. : so i had to settle with what i found. i picked the perfect time to start this story, seeing as i am now on Spring Break :D woo! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	3. I'm Just Fine

_Alice_

This boy was faster than I had expected, but he seemed to be tiring out quicker than I was. Maybe it was the bag of stolen food was slowing him down. We were running further and further away from the City, and deeper into the Wastelands. I shouldn't have even thought about chasing this Outcast.

I should have gone back through the fence before an Official or somebody else saw me. But something was telling me to chase after him. Was I planning on taking the food and turning him into the Officials so he could be killed? No. That didn't really seem like something I would no, being that I would probably do the same if I was hungry enough.

Then why was I chasing after him? The only thing that concerned me with him was that fact that he ran into me and knocked me over. That was it. Suddenly, he stopped and turned around. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, and ran into him.

I stepped back a few feet. Was he dangerous? I didn't know anything about Outcasts other than they were sent to the Wastelands for crimes. I didn't know anything else. "Why are you following me?" his snapped, his voice harsh and cold. It was dark around us, but I knew of everything that was around us; ash, dead trees, and the Outcast.

"I-I don't know why I followed you," I responded back, my voice more shaky than I expected. I guessed that I was worried he'd try to hurt me in order to keep me from telling the Officials about him. I saw his amber eyes narrow at me. "You need to go back to where you came from. You don't need to be out here."

It was more of a warning than a statement. "I'm not going to report you, if that's what you're worried about," I said, trying to reassure any assumptions he may have made. When I looked closer at him, he looked about my age. His black hair blended in with the stark night.

A small breeze blew through the Wastelands, causing the ashes of plants and other previous life to be disturbed and float through the air. The Outcast then coughed into his hand. I was able to see his face was flushed. "You're sick," I said. His eyes sharpened at me.

"It's from the ash. I'm not sick." There was defiance in his voice, but also worry. It probably wasn't a good thing to get ill out in a place with no help for the sick or wounded. Heck, they didn't even have any food, or else this Outcast wouldn't have risked his life to steal it from the market.

"I have some spare medicine back at my house-" His harsh voice cut me off. "I don't need anything from where you're from." I blinked in surprise, and to also rid my eyes of the ashes that had gotten in them. "Just get out of here. It'll save everyone a lot of trouble if you do," he snapped.

He picked up the bag of stolen food and started to walk off. It was probably for the best if I did leave. My grandfather was bound to be wondering why I wasn't home this late. I turned around and followed the dim lights that came from oil lamps back in the City.

I arrived back to the fence, and slipped through the large opening. Everything looked the same as it had when I left. There were no Officials patrolling, and I took that opportunity to get back home. Last night, the little Outcast girl had been in my thoughts. Now, it was that boy.

_Shun_

When I noticed the girl from the City was chasing after me, there was a moment when I felt stricken with worry. _She's going to turn me in. I just know it._ But I saw that she wasn't one of the Officials, which still didn't mean much. This girl could have still turned me in.

Finally, I had talked her into leaving the Wastelands and returning back to the City. I walked back to our little town, the bag of food still in my hand. There would be plenty to ration out to the rest of the people that lived with us, but the kids were the top priority.

They would get some of the food first, then the rest of us would get our servings. Christina was sitting outside of the small building that housed all of the parentless children. She then saw me walking towards the building, and jumped up. "Shun! There you are!"

Christina ran down the old stairs, almost tripping on her way down. "Where have you been? We woke up this morning and you were gone." Her voice was filled to the brim with worry. I hadn't meant to cause anyone grief, but they would certainly worry if I had told them of the stupid thing I did.

Her eyes fell on the bag that I had set on the ground. "What's that?" I opened it up, revealing the bread and other things that I was able to swipe. Her eyes lit up. For many of our people, this was the most food they'd see in their entire lives. The awe in Christina's expression faded though.

"Shun, where did you get this?" She knew exactly where I had gotten it, but she probably didn't want to believe it. "The City. I snuck in through the fence and grabbed what I could." She looked at me as if I had murdered somebody. "You could have been killed."

One of the kids that were inside of the house, was looking out the window at us. Christina waved her hand and said, "Go back to bed." The kid nodded sleepily and left the window. I said, "I know about the risk I took, but I didn't want to watch them starve."

I coughed into my hand like I had done back with the City girl. Christina looked at me and asked, "Are you feeling well?" She tried to place her hand on my face, but I knocked it to the side. "I'm feeling fine." I couldn't afford to get sick. But it looked like that both me and Christina knew I probably was.

The people in the Wastelands barely had an immune system, which left us very vulnerable to everything. Next to starvation, illness was our second biggest killer. She sighed and picked up the bag of food. "I'm going to put this up. I don't care if you're feeling okay or not, I want you to rest." I nodded my head and followed her inside of the house.

_Alice_

The morning went on like any other, but I knew it wasn't. I could already tell that the Officials were cracking down after that boy stole from the market. Whether they knew he was an Outcast or not, they didn't seem to care. They were being more strict about the laws.

The Officials claimed that it was for our safety, but I already felt like more a prisoner. I was sitting on my bed, watching as twice as many Officials were put up against the fence. If that boy tried to sneak back in a steal again, then he was in for a big shock.

There was something about the Wastelands though, that made me feel somewhat free. Maybe it was the fact that it was such a wide open space with no fence to cage people. I sighed, and laid back down on my bed. A knock came from my bedroom door, and my grandfather stepped in.

I sat up so he'd have room to sit down on the foot of my bed. "I didn't want to bother you about this last night since you looked tired, but why did you get back so late?" his voice was soft and gentle. Most adults would yell and yell at their kids for getting home late, but not my grandfather.

"I kind of ran into somebody." If anyone found out that I talked with an Outcast, then all hell would break loose. That was almost as bad as stepping out through the fence and into the Wastelands. He nodded his head, not wanting to push the subject any further.

"One of the upper class families that I know, dropped by this morning while you were sleeping. They were wanting to know if you'd help out around their house for a couple extra dollars." I smiled. This was one of the perks of having my grandfather. He had been crucial in the reconstruction of our City, and made plenty of inventions that had pulled us out of the dark and into the light.

"Of course, Grandfather. I'd love to help them out." This would also mean that I had a good amount of money coming my way. The upper class gave higher payments that the employers that were in our class. The only people who matched that pay, were the Officials.

My grandfather handed me a sheet of paper with the directions to their home. He then pushed himself up and off of the foot of my bed. "They said you can show up whenever you want." I nodded and watched him walk out of my room.

Since I didn't know what kind of work I would be doing for these people, I just slipped on one of my older, and least favorite dresses. I stopped in the kitchen, and made me a small breakfast with the groceries that I had just bought. "I'm gone, Grandfather."

He sipped his coffee and put it down to speak. "Ok. Be careful out there." I followed the directions on the paper. As I walked, the houses began to look nicer and nicer. I hadn't ever been in this area of the City. It was strange to see such nice houses, when really they were just like ours. Only bigger and without the leaky roof.

I found the house that my grandfather had given me the directions to. There was a small dog laying down on the dead grass of their yard, and he didn't even bark when I walked up to the door. _Some guard dog._ I knocked on the door, and was greeted with an elderly couple.

They looked about the same age as my grandfather, maybe even older. The woman said, "You must be Michael's granddaughter. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable." Her voice was nice and subtle. She was the basic little-old-lady. They let me inside.

Although the house looked like ours on the outside, it was totally different on the inside. The furniture and floors were in better shape than what was in our house, and there wasn't dust caking every square inch of the place. I asked, "What do you want me to do?"

The old man said, "Well, it'd be nice if you could dust some of the shelves that we can't reach anymore." I smiled and said, "That's no problem." They handed me a cloth to dust with. I took it and started on the shelves. The dust that flew up made me sneeze.

The floating dust reminded me of the ashes that flew up around me and the Outcast boy. I shook my head. I had to get him off of my mind. I went back to focusing on cleaning the shelf, and tried to push him out of my thoughts as best as I could.

_Shun_

My body was sore when I woke up that morning. I played it off as from running yesterday, but I highly doubted that was the root cause. I forced myself out of bed, and walked towards the main room of the building. Christina was already handing out small portions of the food that I stole last night.

The kids were taking it without hesitation, but remembered to thank her. I smiled. Christina saw me standing in the doorway, and quickly handed the last kid his food. She then made her way over to me. "I might not like how you got the food, but at least they won't be hungry," she said softly so the kids wouldn't hear us talk.

If they found out that I had snuck into the City, then they would think it would be ok for them to do the same thing. And I didn't want to be responsible for any of their deaths. "As long as their not as hungry," I said while watching them eat. Christina still held the leftover loaf of bread and held it out to me.

"You want some?" I shook my head. "I'm not hungry," I said tiredly. She raised an eyebrow at me, then quickly placed her hand on my forehead. I wasn't ready for her to do that, so I didn't have time to react and try to dodge. "Shun, you're warm."

I lowered her arm and said, "I'm sure it's nothing." Her eyes told me it wasn't nothing. She knew just as well as I did, that I was getting sick. "Maybe you should go lay down." I shook my head. There was no way that I was going, or wanted, to admit that I was sick.

Even though it was clear that I was. "I'll be fine. If I start feeling worse, then I'll take it easy. But right now, I feel fine." Christina sighed. "Suit yourself, Shun. Just take it easy though." I nodded and watched as she walked back over to the kids. Quietly, I coughed into my hand so they wouldn't hear.

* * *

><p>ah. i love week long breaks. :3 i can sleep in and stay up without having to worry about school. life is good. ^^ well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	4. Helping Hand

_Alice_

The elderly couple I was working for allowed me to leave early after I finished cleaning the shelves. I had gotten done around early afternoon, and they were kind enough to ask if I would join them for lunch. I took them up on their offer, not wanting to snub them in their own house.

The lunch was good; it was some kind of soup the old woman had made while I was working on the shelves. We sat and talked for a little while after that. They were really nice people, which was kind of hard to come by in the City. Maybe it was because of their age.

The elderly man held out several folded dollars to me. "Here's your pay for the day." I took it, and counted the money. The amount that was in my hands would have taken my grandfather and I weeks to make. "Thank you." I folded the dollars back up, and tucked them away in a pocket that was on my dress.

The woman asked, "Will we see you tomorrow?" I stood up, straightening the wrinkles in my dress as I did so. "Of course," I responded back to her. For one thing, they were nice people. And another thing was that they paid generously.

I thanked them for the work and money, then told them good-bye. Since I was let off early, my grandfather would still be thinking that I was working. So, I took this opportunity to walk around the City. I mainly wanted to see how many Officials actually had been placed by the fence.

I walked along the dirt road, occasionally sneaking glances at the Officials. It seemed like for every one their had been, there were now three more to take his place. I could hardly see the fence behind them. I felt more caged in than I ever had before, and I didn't like it.

Something wasn't right. I kept on walking past the Officials, and made an unnoticed way towards the dead part of the City; the area that not even the Officials would go. From across the street, I stared at the hole in the fence. It was one thing when I went through there at night, but it was completely different during the daytime.

I could easily be spotted by one of the many Officials that had been added on guard. Why was I even thinking about doing something this stupid and dangerous? Something told me that it had to do with the Outcast I met last night.

Maybe I wanted to warn him about the increase in Officials so he wouldn't try to slip back through the fence and get hurt. I took a deep breath, and darted across the street and through the opening in the fence. Without stopping, I ran through the Wastelands until I felt as though I was well out of sight from any Official.

How was I even planning on finding that Outcast when the Wastelands were so wide open? He couldn't have been too far off from the City, because I doubted that he'd carry that stolen bag of food for a very long distance. Unless he truly was that desperate for something to eat.

I stopped walking for a moment to catch my breath, and out in the distance I saw what looked like a small cluster of houses that were similar to the one that I lived in with my grandfather. That had to be the place that the Outcasts stayed at.

_Shun_

I had gone back to my room to lay down after my conversation with Christina that morning. In the room with the others, I could hear some of the kids asking Christina what was wrong with me. Her answer was telling them that I was just tired. There wasn't any reason to make them worry.

I could feel my fever starting to grip my body tighter and tighter. And without any medicine or treatments to help break it, I was fully at its mercy. Christina then walked in my room. "Feeling worse?" she asked. I nodded my head. "Yeah. Just a little bit." I noticed that she had brought in a small bowl with her.

When she stepped closer to me, I saw it was filled with water and a cloth. She had most likely gotten the water from one of the temporary streams that ran through the Wastelands. They were just little holes in the ground that would fill with water after a rain.

But we hadn't gotten any rain in months, and the water was starting to dry up more and more each day. She dipped the cloth in the water, and wrung out some of the excess. Then, she placed it on my forehead. "It's all I can do to try and help you break your fever."

I closed my eyes. The cool water did feel good, but I knew it probably wasn't going to do much for my fever. Christina then got up and walked out of my room, leaving the bowl of water on the floor next to the bed. I pulled my covers up to my shoulders, and tried my best to fall asleep.

_Alice_

I walked into the little cluster of houses unnoticed. People were standing around, talking and laughing whiles kids ran around the dead trees and played. It was almost like it was back in the City. I compared my clothes to theirs, and knew that I would stand out greatly among them.

This was not a place that I could blend into. Plus, I was sure they'd notice somebody they had never seen before. How would they react though if they saw somebody from the City suddenly appear? I pushed that out of my mind and went back to searching for the Outcast boy.

He didn't appear to be anywhere outside, so perhaps he was in one of the small houses. There were maybe six or seven houses that were the same size as the one that I lived in with my grandfather. I snuck peeks in the windows. He wasn't in the first several houses.

I kept on looking, and finally found him in one of the last houses. He was laying in a bed, and a young woman was putting what looked like a cloth on his forehead. I then remembered that when I first met him, he looked sick. He had claimed he wasn't, but that was kind of hard to do now.

The woman moved, and I ducked under the window so they wouldn't see me. I didn't want this Outcast to die. It wouldn't be right to let him die of illness while I had a full bottle of medicine that could save him. I decided that's what I would do. I snuck back out of the little town, and ran back through the Wastelands.

I slipped back through the hole in the fence and ran back to my home. My grandfather was still at the kitchen table. How was I going to explain to him why I was taking our medicine? "Alice, you're back." I had to remind myself that he thought I had still been working for those people instead of wandering out in the Wastelands.

"Yeah. I'm back." I opened the cabinet, and grabbed the bottle of antibiotics that were pretty much a standard issue to everyone in the City. _But not the Wastelands._ My grandfather was looking at me take the bottle. "Are you feeling sick, Alice?" I slipped into a panic as I tried to think of an explanation.

I knew saying that I was going to take them because I was feeling sick, wouldn't work because my grandfather would make me stay at home. And if that happened, then how was I going to get the medicine to the one who really needed it.

"Runo and her family need some extra and I said that we could spare some. Is that okay?" I played with the bottle in my hands to try and calm myself. Would my grandfather understand what I was doing if I told him the truth? I didn't want to find out. "Of course it's fine."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Alright. I'll take these to them now." He nodded, and I was about to run from the house when I remembered the pocketful of money I had with me. I quickly dropped it in our savings jar, and ran from the house. I ran back to where the hole was in the fence, and slipped through unnoticed.

The gray sky was showing that it was creeping up on the evening, which meant that I would have to work quick so nobody back home would wonder where I was at. I retraced my steps back through the Wastelands, and arrived back at the town the Outcasts had built.

I remembered which house the boy was in, and walked up the old steps. I lifted my hand up, still clutching the medicine in my other, and knocked on the door. The young woman who had been treating the boy, answered the door. "Who are you?" I held out my hand and showed her the bottle.

She took the bottle and looked at it. This had to be strange for her; seeing a complete stranger show up at the door with medicine. "These are antibiotics," she said, not quite able to figure out what was going on. "Yeah. The boy in there, he needs them, doesn't he?"

She nodded her head slowly, not taking her eyes from me. "Yes. Uh, how did you know?" I asked, "Can we get him that medicine before I go into details?" I didn't mean to sound pushy, but I was on a tight schedule. The woman looked around and said, "You're right. Please, come in."

I walked in the house behind her. The house appeared to be inhabited by more than just this woman and the Outcast that I had come looking for. "Can these pills be added in water and taken? Cause I don't think he's going to take medicine that just magically appeared," she said while holding up a cup with a little bit of water in it.

"I think you can. I don't see why not," I replied. She nodded, and dropped two or three pills into the cup of water. The woman then walked into the other room, leaving me to myself until she would come back. I looked around, examining the insides of the house.

My home back in the City would be like the upper class compared to this one. I felt sorry for them having to live in these conditions. The woman came back, an empty cup in her hand. "I was able to get him to drink the water." She handed me back the bottle of pills, but I pushed them back to her.

"No. I think you need them more than I do." She stared down at the bottle and said, "Why would you help us out? We're Outcasts." I nodded and said, "I know. I'm helping because it's the right thing to do." The woman gave me a sad smile, and put the bottle away in a small box, which looked like it was filled with the food that the Outcast took.

"Thank you," she said softly. I said back, "It's no problem." The woman looked at me and said, "You knew that Shun was sick. How?" That was his name? It certainly was different. "I ran into him in the Wastelands the other night. After he had taken some food from the market."

She blinked a few times before saying, "You knew he had snuck into the City and didn't turn him in?" I shook my head. "Why would I do that? I'm sure if I was hungry and desperate enough, I would have done the same thing." This woman wasn't sure what to think of me, that was for certain. She asked me once more, "Who are you?"

* * *

><p>dear god. i could NOT settle on an idea for this chapter. -.- i changed it about three times before i went with this. but at least i got it done. has this daylight savings got anyone else mixed up? or am i the only one? oh well. red, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	5. Double Trouble

_Alice_

I blinked a few times. This woman was reacting about the way that I expected. "I'm Alice," I said, hoping that was the answer that she wanted when she asked who I was. I don't think it was, but she left my clueless answer at that and didn't probe any deeper with the same question. We sat there in an awkward silence. It would probably be like this till one of us bothered to talk to the other, or after the medicine started to take effect on the Outcast.

I didn't have to call him that anymore, since I now knew his name. But it must have become a habit. The woman sat down in a chair and said, "Let me introduce myself since I know your name now. I'm Christina." She held out a slender hand to me, which I shook. Compared to the other people I had seen outside, she looked the youngest. Next to the kids and Shun, of course.

Now, I had a name for both her and the stranger that I had helped. Christina then asked me, "What did Shun do when you ran into him in the Wastelands?" I thought back to the other night when I fell and landed right in front of him. He was hiding, and I had accidentally uncovered him. "He was kind of freaked out at first." She nodded her head. "Shun probably thought you were going to turn him in, or that you were an Official."

I doubted I could ever pass as an Official in a million years. "He seems kind of stubborn from what I could tell," I added on so the awkwardness wouldn't return. She laughed and said, "Stubborn he is. No, that may actually be an understatement."

I laughed along with her. It was hard to believe how similar these people were to the ones I knew in the City. I had to remind myself that most of them had lived in the City at one point, and then they were cast out. Then I remembered, they had committed crimes to get where they were now.

Did that mean that some of them were dangerous? If any of them were, then I doubted that they would allow a dangerous person to live around where little kids were. _I need to quit thinking like those Officials._ A little girl ran into the house, and I recognized her as the little girl that I had seen through the fence.

She stopped, looking me over as she tried to place where she had seen me. "You're that girl that gave me that food!" Her eyes lit up when she finally knew who I was. Christina raised an eyebrow and asked the girl, "You've met Alice before, Sarah?" She nodded her head vigorously.

"Yeah. She saw me through the fence a few days ago and gave me a little bit of food." I smiled down at the little girl. Christina looked at her and said, "You were next to the fence?" The little girl nodded and said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to go back there because Shun talked to me about why it was bad."

Christina nodded and placed a light hand on the little girl's back. "Okay. Go on and gather up the rest of the children. It's getting dark and I don't want them getting lost." The girl didn't protest and ran out of the house. "That was a nice thing you did for her, but if you see anymore of them around the fence, could you maybe tell them just to come on back here? So they won't get hurt?"

Images of all of the Officials piled up against the fence. "I'll try, but about three times as many Officials have been added to the fence after Shun broke in." Her eyes widened. "More Officials?" I nodded. I remembered how I could hardly see past them. If one of those kids came running up there out of curiosity, the only people that would see them would be an Official.

And no telling what would happen from there on out. They could kill the kid if they wanted to. I cringed. How much more authority would they end up getting if they did spot another kid or Outcast near the fence? They already seemed out of control in my opinion, but what they were doing was fine to many people in the City.

"That's what I originally came here for. To tell Shun about all of the new Officials in case he was going to try and sneak in through the fence again," I told her. At least, that was my best guess as to why I really came here. It was the only thing that made sense to me.

A group of kids then came walking into the house, all of them led by little Sarah. I then looked out of the door they left open. It was already night out there. I panicked, not knowing that I had been gone this long. I jumped up and said, "I really have to go."

Christina stared at me with surprise in her eyes. She wasn't expecting me to jump up suddenly and say that. The kids that had just walked into the house were staring at me as well; either from my outburst or because I was a total stranger. "I understand that you have to go back there.

I just want to thank you again, Alice. Will we ever see you again?" Christina's hazel eyes were quizzical as she waited for my answer. "I'll try. I really will," I told her. But I didn't know if I could keep this promise or not. Things back in the City were starting to get more and more confusing.

I told her good-bye and ran out of the house. All of the people that had been walking around, now were gone. All of them had vanished inside of their homes and gone to sleep. I followed my way back to the City by using the lights from oil lamps to guide me. I would have to hurry, because soon they would all be out as people turned in for the night.

Each time my foot hit the ground, a cloud of ash came up. I knew the ends of my dress had to be covered in the stuff. In the dark, it was harder to find the hole in the fence. I stayed out of the Officials' sight so I could locate the opening. It felt like forever had gone by until I finally say it.

I didn't hesitate before running through the weak point in the fence. Now, I just had to walk back to my home without getting stopped by an Official. That was easier said that done.

_Shun_

I slowly opened my eyes, only to find it was sometime late at night. There wasn't any laughing or squealing, which told me that all of the kids were asleep. I brought a hand up to my forehead. My fever wasn't gone, but it was a lot weaker than it had been earlier. Odds were it had broken while I was resting.

The cloth that Christina had used on me, was back in its bowl of water on the floor. I knew that little water soaked rag wasn't going to break my fever. Then what had? I tried to remember anything that may have done it. I knew it wasn't my immune system, since it was no better than anyone else's that lived out here.

I then remembered the little bit of water Christina had given to me. When she gave it to me, I didn't understand the point in it. I was as good as dead, and didn't need to have precious water wasted on something that was inevitable. But there had been something off about that water.

Most of the water in the Wastelands wasn't exactly to cleanest stuff of the planet, but the water that I was given was different from what I was normally used to.

It had a powdery texture, and a bitter aftertaste. I couldn't think of anything that was in it that would have done anything to break my fever.

Unless, there had been medicine in it. But nobody here had any of that, so that theory was out of the window. The only way we could have gotten some was if we snuck into the City and stole it.

I hoped that Christina hadn't taken a page out of my book and gone to the City in an attempt to help me. It seemed out of character for her, but it was also out of character for me when I went to the City and stole food.

I coughed into my hand. It was safe to say whatever medicine she had gotten, hadn't gotten rid of my cough just yet. I sighed. I just couldn't believe that somebody had risked their neck to go into the City in order to get me medicine. I knew that I was important to the people that lived with us, but my life wasn't worth risking another's.

_Alice_

An Official immediately stopped me when I walked out of the 'do not enter' zone of the City. "Why are you out walking around at this time when you should be sleeping?" It always seemed like these Officials only knew how to ask questions.

But they had put me on the spot with their little question. I couldn't think of a single lie to respond to them with. In my mind, I was sifting through anything that I could possibly use to save my hide. I got it. "I was working for a couple in the upper class part of town, and since I had never been there, I got lost on my way coming back home."

The Official raised an eyebrow, then looked me over. He was examining my ash covered dress. If I didn't know better, I would have said he could smell the fear on me. "Do you have anyone that can verify that you were working there?" I nodded. "Yeah. My Grandfather can. He's the one who got me a job up there."

The Official whistled, and another one came jogging up next to him. "Alright. We're going to escort you back home, and make sure that you're telling to truth to us. Is that clear?" I tried to act like I knew what I was doing and said to them, "Crystal clear." I may have seemed confident on the outside, but I was nowhere near it on the inside.

On each of my arms, an Official had linked his arm through mine so I wouldn't run off. "Up there. That's my house," I told them so they wouldn't keep on carrying me down the street. They walked with up to the door, and knocked. Little pieces of old wood fell off of the door and landed at my feet.

My grandfather then appeared, his expression shocked when he saw that I was in between two Officials. "Alice. What's going on?" His question was directed to the Officials, rather than me. Before one of them could speak, I jumped in. I needed this to go my way, or end up in big trouble.

"They found me wandering around the streets. I told them that I had been working up in the upper class homes and got lost on my way back here since I never go up there. They need you to verify that I was working up there today." I blurted out my words, and I had to focus to keep from rushing them. _Please, Grandfather. Catch on to what I'm saying._

I kept mentally begging him to follow along with my little act. He then smiled and said, "Thank you for finding my granddaughter. I knew I should have given her better directions when I sent her up there this morning." He even snapped his fingers to signal that he forgot.

The two Officials looked at each other. _Please buy it. Please buy it._ In my opinion, my grandfather's act was pretty believable. The Official who found me said, "Alright. Everything seems to check out with your story." They let me go, and I ran over to my grandfather's side.

The old man was waving at them as they were walking away from our house. "Thank you again!" The Officials ignored him. He kept waving until they were out of sight, then turned on me. He had a hand on each of my shoulders, and his expression was extremely serious. "Inside. Now."

I nodded and followed him into our house. I had never seen him like this. He was shuffling around in the kitchen. "I'm sorry if I made you worry, Grandfather," I said softly. I really was. If I hadn't lost track of time out there in the Wastelands, then I wouldn't have gotten caught by Officials.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw you with two Officials? I nearly had a heart attack, Alice." I mumbled another apology to him. I probably did deserve to get yelled at for causing him so much worry. He then said, "Okay. Now tell me why you were so late getting back. Because I know for a fact that it doesn't take that long to bring medicine to Runo's, since she lives right down the street."

I almost thought for a moment he was going to say bring medicine to the Wastelands, then calmed down when he finished his sentence. I forgot that I told him I was taking the medicine to Runo. "I stayed a little while longer to help her with some things."

I didn't know that I was capable of lying like this. I hated not telling my grandfather the truth though. Ever since I got involved with the Outcasts, I had lied to him more than I ever had in my life. The only people I had been truly honest with lately, were the people out in the Wastelands.

My grandfather sighed and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me. "I'm sorry. I'm just relieved that you're okay and not in any kind of trouble." I hugged him back. _Yeah. No trouble. Yet._

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><p>chapter went much more fluently than the last. thank goodness. ^^'' hard to believe it's only Tuesday. o.o announcement before i forget, but i will most likely restate this. there will be <strong>no updates from March 22-26<strong>. i'm going on a band trip and **will have no access to internet or time to update**. like i said, i'm probably going to restate this several times. my brain could deserve a rest as well. :p well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	6. Pushing Me Away

_Alice_

I hardly did any sleeping that night. I was too jumpy from almost getting in trouble with the Officials. Sneaking from the City wasn't going to be an easy task, which it wasn't an easy one from the start. Maybe this was a sign telling me to stop going out into the Wastelands and leave the Outcasts alone.

But it didn't matter what the sign was telling me, I wanted to go out there. I wanted to talk with those people and learn more about them and how they've been making it this long. If I had just told that to anyone, I would have been locked away while the Officials thought up what they would do to me.

This was sheer insanity. The only thing I would end up getting from going out in the Wastelands, was loads of trouble. But as of lately, trouble had become my middle name. I got up from my bed, and shuffled over the wood floor to my window. As usual, the Officials were standing in front of the fence across the street. Some of them were walking along the fence, but most were just standing.

A few were sitting down to rest. Did they ever sleep? Or eat for that fact. The sky was starting to lighten. I really hadn't even slept for five minutes, and I knew that I'd pay for it the rest of the day. I went back over to my bed and sat down on the edge.

The springs in the mattress made groaning sounds under my weight. In the other room, I could already hear my grandfather begging to stir as he woke up. He had always been an early bird. I didn't know how anyone, human at least, could wake up at such early hours in the day.

My door opened, and my grandfather's head popped through. "Oh. You're already awake." I nodded and said grouchily, "Yeah. Didn't ever really go to sleep." I heard my grandfather sigh softly. "Those Officials had you antsy all night?" I nodded, feeling like a little kid who had a bad dream.

The fact that I could have gotten in trouble for walking around late a night, made me fear what they'd do if they spotted me going through the fence. My grandfather sat down next to me, and patted my back with his hand. "It's alright, Alice. It was all a big misunderstanding. They can't do anything to you for something like that."

_I wouldn't be so sure._ The Officials had become so unpredictable now, when they used to just stand around and occasionally yell at people. Now, they were taking some serious actions. "Do you want to work today?" my grandfather asked.

I had completely forgotten that I said I'd go back and finish up working for those people in the upper class neighborhood. I was probably too tired, and in no stable condition in my mind. I shook my head. "Not today." My grandfather nodded in understanding.

"I'll just tell them you're not feeling well today, and that you'll try and make it as soon as you can." He got off of my bed, with a little help from me, and went to another room. I sat there, clenching my blankets in my hands. Why was I getting so frustrated? _It may be cause I'm tired._

I got up and started to look around for my grandfather. He was, as usual, sitting at the kitchen table. _You would have thought I'd know this by now._ I asked him, "Is it alright if I go and walk around? To try and clear my mind from last night?" He stared at me as he thought. Was he catching onto my true intentions?

"If you do, I want you back before dark so we don't have an issue like we did last night." I didn't blame him there. I didn't want another run in with an Official anytime soon. But planning on going back into the Wastelands was like inviting trouble to our home. "I'll be back before dark. I promise," I said, even raising my hand in the air, as if I were taking a vow.

I had to make sure and keep this one, since I hadn't kept my own last night. I walked out of our pitiful house, that I was sure any Outcast would have been thankful to have. Out of nowhere, Julie appeared. She latched onto my arm, and began to drag me in the opposite way in which I wanted to go.

"Julie, what are you doing?" I finally got my footing straight so she'd stop dragging me along the dirt road. "I saw this little dress yesterday that I was dying to show you, but I couldn't find you. So now, I'm not letting you slip by me again." I tried to free my arm from her grasp, but she had death gripped me.

"Julie, I'd love to see this dress, but I kind of have somewhere else that I need to be." I was still trying to tug my arm free, but nothing was working. Julie was determined to have me see this dress, that odds were, we'd never be able to afford. We stopped in front of a small shop.

Julie was looking in the window with awe, and I saw the dress myself. "Isn't it just awesome?" said the silver haired girl. It was pretty, I had to admit that. "But even if you could afford it, Julie, when and where would you wear it?"

What I said should have popped her bubble, but it didn't seem to bother her. "I'm sure I'd find someplace to where it to." I shook my head. This was one of the hopeless dreams we had in the City. I didn't understand why people here made things like this dress, when they knew nobody could afford the price they were asking for.

And even if they did buy it, there weren't any places that you could wear it. The person who made the dress, only was losing money by making it. Because it would sit there forever until somebody from the upper classes walked by and bought it for the sake of it.

"Can I go back to what I was doing, Julie?" I asked, slightly annoyed. _I really shouldn't miss anymore sleep._ My voice finally snapped the girl out of her fascination with the dress. "Huh? Oh, Alice. I forgot you were there." I growled, completely annoyed now. On top of the fact that I hadn't gotten any sleep, Julie wasn't helping the cause at all. "I'm gone, Julie."

The girl was back to gazing at the other clothes that were inside the store. I shook my head and walked off. I was burning daylight as long as I stayed with Julie, and that was time that I didn't have. It was already early afternoon, and I had promised my grandfather that I would be back home before dark.

I slipped past the Officials, and through the fence. It felt a lot easier to get through than it had the first couple of times. Perhaps I was getting used to leaving the City and going into uncharted territory. That was probably a bad thing; getting used to doing something illegal.

But I didn't see any harm in this. The Outcasts weren't dangerous like the Officials had made them out to be. If anything, the Officials were more dangerous than these people. I walked back into the town, staying out of sight from other people that didn't know me; I still wasn't sure how they would react to me.

The woman that I had talked with last night, Christina, was standing outside with several of the kids. She saw me and said, "You did come back." Apparently she was thinking that I wouldn't. The kids had already taken a liking to me in a short amount of time.

They probably didn't even understand the harsh world they lived in. "Yeah. I'm back. But I don't know how many more times I can though." The woman raised an eyebrow. "I had a run in with some Officials last night when I got back into the City," I explained.

Christina looked shock when I brought up my little altercation with the Officials. "Oh my. What did they do?" she asked. The kids had gotten bored with our conversation, and ran off to play someplace else. "They just wanted to know why I was out so late. I don't think they saw me out in the Wastelands," I told her.

She let out sigh and said, "I'm sorry if we did anything to get you in trouble." She actually thought she had gotten _me_ in trouble? If anything, it was my own fault for getting back late when I should have left early from the start. "It's not a big deal. Let's change the subject now. How's he doing?"

Christina looked back at the house and said, "His fever broke sometime last night, which is really good. If it weren't for you bringing that medicine, Shun would probably be a lot worse than he is now." I didn't doubt that. I had seen her tending to his fever yesterday, and he looked a hundred times worse than when I first ran into him the night before.

"Is he awake right now?" I asked. I had run so many risks to help this boy, I felt that I at least should be able to speak with him for a moment. "I think he is. At least, he was when I checked on him about an hour ago."

A few people were catching glances at me as they began to notice a stranger within their community. I quickly asked, "Can I talk with him?" Christina nodded and motioned for me to follow her into the weakly supported home.

_Shun_

How was I even supposed to react when Christina brought in a total stranger. The thing was, she wasn't a total stranger to me. It was the girl that had followed me from the City the night that I snuck in. My eyes darted to Christina and I hissed, "Why is she here?"

I was just waiting for the Officials to come walking in behind them. Every fiber in me was screaming that this girl had probably brought as many Officials as she could so she could turn me in. But nobody else appeared. I slowly began to relax, but kept my guard up just in case they were standing outside.

I didn't trust this girl. She was from the City, which meant that they could care less about us. Christina held out her hand to the girl and said, "This is Alice. She's the one who helped you." The orange haired girl was standing there, an innocent look on her face. I didn't buy it for one minute.

"What are you talking about, Christina? Why in the hell would somebody from the City help us?" The girl looked surprised at my harsh words. Ok, maybe I had been a little on the cold side. But if you looked around at how the people were living in the Wastelands, then you'd understand why there was some slight loathing towards her.

"She snuck out from the City and brought you medicine. Without her, I doubt that you'd be talking to us right now," said Christina, who was obviously trying her best to get me to calm down. I remembered how that girl had offered me medicine when we first encountered one another. I didn't know what to think about this.

This girl, one from the City, had left and went through the Wastelands to help me? My brain was so confused. I knew I didn't have the people from the City wrong; I still didn't like or trust them the least bit. But maybe this girl was different from most of them. The girl, Alice, finally spoke.

"I first came out here to tell you not to try and sneak back into the City because more Officials are on guard around the fence." So either way, this girl had gone all this way to help me. That still didn't seem to change much though. She was still from the City, and also a liability to us.

If anyone found out that she was sneaking out into the Wastelands to speak with Outcasts, then they kill her and anybody that she may had spoken with. She had helped me, so I only found it suiting that I try and return the favor. "Thanks for you generosity, but now you have to go," I said rather more coldly than I intended.

Her eyes widened. "But why? I want to help you and the other Outcasts and-" I cut her off before she could go on to another thing in her list. "You're too much of a risk to us. We're fine on our own, and don't need any help from somebody from the City." She seemed shocked.

This girl was probably thinking I was going to be thankful for her saving me, which I was. But her showing up here could put a lot of lives in danger, and it was my responsibility to keep as many people as I could safe. Christina snapped at me, "Shun!" The girl nodded her head.

"He's probably right. I should get going. I need to be back home before dark anyway." The girl turned around and left from the house. Christina narrowed her eyes at me and said, "What was that for? She was offering us help that we need and you go and do that. Why?"

I sighed. "If she gets caught in the Wastelands, then all hell will break loose for everyone. It's better if we didn't know her, and you know that as well as I do." Christina sighed, then walked out of my room while mumbling something to herself.

Yeah, that girl may have been on help to us, but we just couldn't afford putting anyone at risk. That was probably the only person in the world that cared about any of us though.

* * *

><p>aye. spring break is halfway over. X'( nooooo. well, read, review, and other things before it ends. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	7. Nothing I've Ever Known

_Alice_

Getting back into the City was much easier this time. Instead of me being on my own in the streets, there were still people walking around, which I easily blended into. I tried to act normal, but that was kind of hard to do when I was still paranoid about whether somebody saw me or not.

Since Officials weren't flocking to arrest me, I assumed that they hadn't even noticed. There was still plenty of daylight in the sky, meaning that I would be back right at the time my grandfather was expecting me to be. But I might have still been out in the Wastelands if I hadn't been told to leave.

I was appalled when Shun wanted me to leave, but I kind of understand what he was getting at. As long as I was out there, whether I was helping them or not, I was a threat and risk. The Officials would have a field day punishing us for speaking to one another.

Shun was smart enough to see that. I was about to walk up to my house, when a cry from the Courtyard rang out. The people who were outside, had turned there heads towards the sound. Even the Officials were looking in the direction it came from. People began to start mumbling to one another.

Something about this wasn't settling right with me. I was sure my grandfather would understand if I got sidetracked for a moment. I followed along with several people to the source of the sound. They all were just as curious as I was. I had to push my way through a wall of people that had formed, and I wished I hadn't.

The Officials had a woman pinned on the ground, a thin line of blood was coming from her brown hair. I had seen her before, but I couldn't remember where. She was yelling at them to let her go, and that she had done nothing wrong. I whispered to a man that was next to me, "What did she do?"

I didn't know if this woman was really innocent or not. She could have been delusional, and not even know what was going on. The Officials were trying to wrestle her into a pair of hand restraints. She was putting up a hell of a fight, but they finally got her. The man leaned towards me and said, "They suspect her of trying to contact an Outcast." Suspect?

Did they even have any proof. I got a clearer look at the woman's face, and immediately recognized her. Margret Webster. She used to run a little shop down in the market with her husband. But when he was convicted of a crime, he was sent out in the Wastelands, leaving her on her own.

Margret closed down her shop and nobody really heard from her since then. Had she actually been trying to talk with her husband? I couldn't recall whether or not I saw him when I found the little community of Outcasts. I didn't remember ever seeing his face. Her husband could have died out there years ago, and nobody would know except the other Outcasts.

Margret's tears were mixing with the blood that had trickled down her face. She kept telling them that she was innocent, but that didn't seem to bother the Officials. They would probably take her away and evaluate her to make sure she had no mental issues, and then they'd do what they pleased to her.

They could lock her away, throw her out in the Wastelands, or even kill her. Two Officials escorted the screaming Margret away, and another stayed behind. "Let this be an example if any of you decide to go against our authority," he said sternly before walking away.

Had Margret really done anything, or did they just use her as a means to show their dominance over us? I wouldn't doubt that they had done the second scenario. It didn't seem like something that was out of their morals. They probably had used Margret as a puppet to strike fear into us.

I didn't know why they wanted to do that, seeing as they were much stronger than us. We were of no threat to them. But they wouldn't have done something like this if we weren't. Did they think we were trying to challenge their power? Because nobody in this City had the gall to run up to an Official and spit on his shoes. The crowd began to disperse, mumbles followed each person as they walked away.

I suddenly began to worry about my grandfather, and started to run back towards my home. Fear began to flood me with the idea that the Officials really did know about me sneaking out, and were going to get me through my grandfather. They had just taken away Margret, and I didn't want them doing anything to my only family.

I swung open the door, and found my grandfather sitting at the table. Just like I left him this morning. I let out a heavy sigh of relief, and tried to calm my trembling hands. My grandfather sat up and walked towards me. I was sure that I had startled him when I ran into the house unrepentantly, but know he was more concerned about why I was so freaked out.

"Did you have another run in with an Official?" he asked while looking me over to make sure I wasn't hurt. I shook my head. "No. But they took away Margret," I said, almost in tears of joy now that I knew that no harm had come to my grandfather. He stared at me with a quizzical look. "Margret Webster?"

I nodded my head. "Why did they take her away? What did she do?" he asked me before I could even think of my next words. "They said that she was trying to contact an Outcast, but I don't think that's the truth," I told him as I thought about my theory I had come up with.

"I don't know how she would try to contact anyone beyond that fence, but maybe she thought she found a way." I shook my head, my orange curls hitting my face. "No! That's what the Officials said, but I don't think they were telling us the truth!" I yelled, starting to build up with anger because my grandfather was buying the lie that the Officials had fed us. He stared at me, shocked at my sudden outburst.

"Alice, why would you think that the Officials were lying about Margret?" I would have thought, my grandfather, one of the smartest people I knew, would catch onto the scandal that was before us. "I'm sure they lied. I know they did. They used Margret to try and intimidate us. They took away an innocent person just so they could scare us."

My grandfather held up hands and said, "Ok, that's enough. I seriously doubt that the Officials would do something that out of line. Margret probably did do something they didn't like. She's been out of it ever since they sent her husband away." I couldn't believe it.

My grandfather was siding with the Officials. But my theory wasn't exactly all that valid. I didn't have any physical proof that they took Margret away without justification. Right now, I was nothing more than a conspiracy theorist. My grandfather sat back down at the table.

His old bones were probably bothering him now. "Alice, please drop that idea of yours. I hate to say that you're wrong, but if you go around telling people that then the Officials might think you've gone insane and take you away. And I don't want that," he told me in a reassuring tone.

But he could try all he wanted, I wasn't going to change my opinion in this. It was true that the Officials would probably think I lost my mind if I walked to the Courtyard and began screaming into the sky, _"They killed Margret when she did nothing wrong!"_ They would probably take me to the mental ward, or they would take me away because I was right about what they did.

_Shun_

Christina was still mad at me, but she had to learn that I sent that girl away in the best interest of our group. True, we did need help, any form of it, but we couldn't afford the help also being a danger. I sat up in my bed, then placed my feet on the floor and stood up.

I wobbled for a moment while my body tried to regain its balance. I had probably also lost a lot of strength from being sick. I walked from my room and into the main part of the house. The kids that had come inside saw me. They smiled and began to says ecstatically, "You're up! You're up!"

All they knew was that I had been locked up in my room for a couple of days. They had no idea that I was pretty much dying. I smiled down at them. I did have to owe that girl for bringing that medicine out here. I would have died, and a lot of people would have had to find a way to make it without my help.

Because Christina was the one who took care of the kids, while I helped out with everything else. Without me, a lot of people would have been lost with no map. The other good thing was, that the girl brought an entire bottle of medicine, which would be enough for the next few people who got ill.

We could at least save a couple of lives out here. A feeling of regret started to form inside of me. It wasn't a smart move to make that girl leave, but what other choice did I have? Christina would have let her stay and put us at risk of an attack from the City.

We had a peaceful coexistence, and I wasn't going to allow it to be jeopardized by one person and one bad mistake. Besides, I had a feeling that the girl would be back anyway. She seemed like the kind of person who didn't listen a lot. Christina walked in from outside.

She was holding a bowl filled with water that she had just gone to retrieve. She saw me, and it was clear to see that she was still angry at my decision from earlier. I needed to talk with her, but I rather not in front of the kids that were standing around in the house.

They wouldn't understand, and would want to know what the two of us were talking about. I walked up to her and said, "Could I speak with you outside?" I motioned to the kids with my eyes so she would hopefully understand. She turned to them and said, "You all stay in here while I step outside for a moment."

We walked out of the house and stood in front of it. "You're go to have to understand why I told her to leave. She's-" Christina cut me off by holding her hand up. "I know. I know. She's a liability to us. I'm fully aware of this. I just hate the fact that we had to get rid of the only person who bothered to help us out," she said and followed her words with a sigh.

I was kind of relieved that she wasn't still pissed at me, but having her angry at the rest of the world wasn't exactly the best thing either. We stood out in the darkening night for a little bit longer, when we heard a scream from the City. Both of us looked down at the fenced civilization.

There was somebody down there screaming and yelling. And as soon as it started, it ended and let the evening turn quiet. Christina said, "Wonder what the hell that was about." I shrugged and remained outside while she went back into the house.

A part of me hoped it wasn't that Alice girl, but I knew it wasn't. I still wasn't at ease though, even if I did know it wasn't her. Whoever it was, wasn't having any fun.

Odds were it was somebody who had gotten caught by an Official, but even I hadn't heard somebody make those kinds of animalistic screams. Whatever was going on down there, didn't sound promising and peaceful.

* * *

><p><em>chapter title based off the song Nothing I've Ever Known from the movie Spirit.<em> -sings Pumped Up Kicks- o.o you all have every right to yell at me for that XD lol. my cat had me so freaked out last night. she saw something outside and i was like "OH MY GOD! THERE'S A KILLER OUTSIDE!' DX but, i'm alive. so that's good in my opinion. :p well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	8. Under The Ashes

_Alice_

Everything returned back to normal the next day. Nobody brought up what happened in the Courtyard yesterday, and nobody brought up Margret's name either. It was like she was dead to the world. Figuratively and maybe even physically.

If intimidation had been the goals of the Officials when they dragged Margret away, then they seemed to have succeeded in doing so. I had left out of the house early, just for the sake of getting out. That, and I wanted to try and get in Margret's old home and see if I could find any proof that the Officials had been telling the truth.

The only problem with my plan, I couldn't even remember where Margret lived. And it would be suspicious if I went around asking people if they knew. My plan wasn't really turning out how I hoped it would. There didn't seem to be anyway for me to get into her home, even if I did find it. I was sure that it was flooded with Officials right now as well. I pushed my little plan of hope to the side.

I'd have to find my proof some other way. I would probably have a better chance of getting an Official to slip up on his words and blurt out something about Margret. But they hardly ever talked unless it was to give you a lecture on what not to do. Sighing in defeat, I walked mindlessly around.

It was better than nothing, and gave me a chance to think about whatever my next move would be. I caught glances of Officials watching me walk back and forth down the little stretch of road. What did they care if I walked? People walked down this road everyday.

I shouldn't have been anyone new to them. I recognized one of them as one of the two Officials who caught me a couple of nights ago. His eyes were locked on me. I couldn't stand to have his cold eyes staring holes through me, so I left the area. He remained there.

I was going back past the Courtyard, and I noticed Dan and Murucho were sitting around and talking to each other. "Hey guys," I said while walking up to them. They turned their heads, and smiled when they saw who it was. "Hey," they said at the same time. I sat down next to them. _Nothing suspicious about this._

Murucho looked at both Dan and I before saying, "Did you know that the Officials are doing a home check today?" Dan shook his head, as did I. Every now and then, the Officials would search our homes and look around for things that we weren't supposed to have; stolen items, illegal substances, and so on.

Sometimes they would take personal items when building material was low. So, if there was something you wanted to keep, you had to hide it. And hide it good. As far as I knew, my grandfather and I didn't have anything worth hiding. I did find it strange that they were searching the homes right after they took Margret away.

They were probably claiming to make sure nobody else was trying to get involved with the Outcasts. I felt like it was just another reason to take somebody else away, and I didn't want to be around for it. Ever since the first time I snuck through the fence, I had been so paranoid that I had been seen.

Now, it was like everything the Officials were doing, was a means to get to me. Call me crazy, but I had that feeling since the very start. And a home check, a place were they could plant an item and take you away, was just the chance they needed to get rid of me.

I got up and told Dan and Murucho, "I'm going on back home and telling my Grandfather about the home check." They nodded, and I jogged off down the dirt road. I hurried past my home and back down to the abandoned part of the City. And as usual, no Officials were guarding the only opening in the fence.

I stopped and stared at it. That seemed strange now that they were trying everything in their power to stop people from even seeing an Outcast or the Wastelands. You would have thought they'd place at least one or two Officials down along this fence like they had the rest of it.

But no, they kept this part completely unguarded. Just like the house checking that was about to happen, this finally didn't settle right with me. It was like they were now daring me to go through that fence. I turned and looked back down the road that I had come from.

This home check they were doing, wasn't a run-of-the-mill check. It had to be more of their corrupt minds at work. I began to weigh my options. The opening in the fence may have, or may have not, been a trap. But what was going on in the City, was.

_Shun_

There was a nice breeze blowing through the Wastelands that morning. It stirred up a little bit of the ashes on the ground and sent them up in the air. I had just finished going around to the homes to see if anybody needed help with something.

Everything was okay according to them, so I went on about my business. Now, I was walking around in the Wastelands so I could be by myself. Occasionally, I did need a break from the reality of life. It wasn't much better out in the dead Wastelands, but it was better than watching the harsh effects it had on people who tried to live in them.

I knelt down on the ground, and out of boredom, began to trace random pattern out in the ash. Something of color caught my eye though, and I pushed the ash away. There was a little patch of grass trying to grow underneath. The bright green life stood out against the dull and dead gray color of the Wastelands.

That was the first plant life I had seen out here. I brush away more ash, wondering if there was anymore grass under it. There was more than I expected. I stood up, and knocked the ash off of my hands and knees. I stared down at the spot of green, then saw somebody running my way.

I turned, and saw it was that orange haired girl from the City. Alice. She stopped a few feet short of me. "What are you doing back here?" I asked. A part of me was happy to see that she really had come back, but another part was telling me I had to get her to leave again.

After hearing the screams come from the City last night, I didn't want any harm to come to her because I allowed her to stay out here. She told me, "It's not safe down there today." She had turned to look back at the City. "And why is that?" Down there in the City was probably a lot safer than out here.

"It's just not," she said, still looking down at the City. If it hadn't been safe, then I doubted she would have returned back out here. I sighed and said, "Alright. Come on back with me." Alice stared at me for a moment with surprise. I asked her, "What?" She blinked a couple of times before saying, "I was sure you'd tell me to go back to the City."

I grinned and said, "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt." She smiled and thanked me. On the walk back, she explained to me everything that had been going on inside the fence. I had to have her explain a couple of things to me, but I caught on quickly.

From what I could understand, the Officials had lost their minds. Or something close to that. And in her opinion, she felt as if she had become a target in all of that madness. I couldn't argue with her, since I didn't know if she really was or if paranoia set in on her.

We got back to our little town, and people who didn't know her, watched her intently as we walked back to the home that I shared. Christina was cleaning up when I stepped through the door. She saw Alice and blurted out, "I thought you said she couldn't come back."

Her voice was more at surprise at me. From what I could tell, she was pretty glad to have Alice back here. I said, "Things down in the City apparently aren't very good today. So, she ran out here to try and stay somewhat safe."

Christina looked at Alice, who nodded so she could verify what I had just said. Christina smiled and told her, "Well, you're more than welcome to stay here. It's the least we can offer for all the help you've given us."

Alice smiled and thanked her. I didn't know of anybody who would have been grateful to stay out here, but that may have just proven how things really were in the City right now.

_Alice_

I was so relieved when Shun said that I could stay out in the Wastelands until I felt that the home check had ended. It would probably end around dark, so I wouldn't have to burden them for a room to stay the night in. I was helping out Christina.

I had to insist that I wanted to help, because she was insisting that I didn't have to do anything cause I had done so much. _All I did was bring some medicine._ That little act would have meant hardly anything back in the City, but out here, it was the only thing that had been done for them.

I was sure that if it weren't for the Officials and all of their rules and regulations, that people from the City would try and help out these Outcasts. Calling them that didn't seem to give them any justification. They were people, not Outcasts. Shun had gone outside sometime about, and was now walking back into the house.

He saw me and said, "Hey, Christina, mind if I borrow her from you for a moment?" Christina rolled her eyes, then smile and said, "Not at all. I've been trying to tell her she didn't have to do any work." I rolled my own eyes, and noticed that Shun was motioning for me to go with him.

I raised an eyebrow, then followed after him. What did he want me for? He was walking out further into the Wastelands. "This way." I nodded and kept following the way he went. I didn't notice it before, but behind the little cluster of houses, was a slight incline. It wouldn't have been difficult to climb, if it weren't for the loose ashes.

I didn't know how Shun could scale this thing so easily. He had probably been walking up that hill for his whole life though, while this was my first time. He was waiting for me up at the top. When I finally got up there, I was panting and trying not to show that I was already exhausted.

I straightened myself up, and was surprised. In front of me, was what looked like a seemingly endless expansion of the Wastelands. And way out in the distance, I could make out the faint outline of what looked like a mountain range. I didn't even know we had any mountains still.

I thought that had been flattened out years ago when the fallout happened. "It's something, isn't it?" Shun asked. I had forgotten that he was standing right there. I was too busing gawking at the scenery. "Yeah, it is." You wouldn't have thought that something like this would be out in the Wastelands.

I always thought everything was dead out here. There was hardly any ashes around on the top of the hill that we were standing on. It was just black dirt that had dried and began to crack. Shun sat down on the ground and said, "I used to spend a lot of time up here when I was younger."

That would explain why the ground was so worn down. I sat down next to him, not caring if my clothes got a little dirt on them. "I really am grateful that you let me stay out here until things quiet down back home." Shun smiled and said, "No problem. I'm sure you'd do the same thing for one of us. If it didn't mean getting killed."

That was true. If I even thought about taking one of these people through the fence, both of us would get shot or whatever method of murder the Officials used. I let out a long breath. It wasn't a sigh, but more like a sigh of relief. It felt so nice not being watched by the hawk-like eyes of the Officials.

I kept staring at the mountains that seemed to be an eternity away. They would probably vanish in a couple of hours when the sun set for the night. I asked, "You ever wonder what's on the other side of those mountains?" Shun shrugged his shoulders. "I used to wonder about it when I was little, but I'm pretty sure it's the same as it is out here."

He was probably right. The nuclear fallout that happened way before I was born, was supposed to have been a worldwide thing. So, it wouldn't be shocking to find that on the other side of the mountains was an ashen and demolished landscape like that of the Wastelands.

I turned to face him and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, but how did you end up out here?" He gave a humorless laugh. "Both of my parents were sent out here before I was born. Then they had me." His voice tapered off at the end. I knew that if somebody was born out in the Wastelands, they were automatically considered an Outcast.

It wasn't fair in my opinion. They should at least have gotten a chance to try and have a life in the City. But they'd have to find somebody who would want to raise them, because their parents couldn't return. Maybe that was why they were forced to stay out here. Shun continued to talk.

"They both ended up dying of illness when I was about five or six. Then I got stuck in what you'd probably consider an orphanage." I felt sad for him losing his parents at such a young age. I could kind of relate. My parents had given me to my grandfather before I could even talk. I was never told why though.

"The orphanage, that's where all those kids live at with you and Christina, isn't it?" I didn't think all of those kids were Christina's. No human could possibly handle that many kids. Shun nodded. "I stayed there because I wanted to help out the kids that turned out without their parents like I did. That, and it's one of the least crowded homes that we have."

I admired him for trying to lighten the tone by joking at the end, but I knew it wasn't helping him out. "I'm sorry. What about Christina? How did she end up out here?" Shun shrugged again. "Nobody knows. She just appeared out here one day. I remember she was about fifteen. Sixteen maybe. She never told us if she was from the City or what. She just popped up."

I thought that sounded very strange. As far as I knew, the City and this little group of people in the Wastelands were the only living civilizations around for miles. Was it possible that Christina was from another one? Was there even any places with more survivors of the nuclear fallout?

It was possible if you thought about it enough. The people who created the City had survived. Surely others had too. There were probably little Cities everywhere, but they were probably so far away from us that we'd never know about them. Shun stood up and brushed the dirt off of himself.

He held out his hand to me. I took it, and he help me up. I thanked him while I brushed myself off. "We need to head back. It's getting dark," he said and started to walk off back down the hill.

I nodded, taking in one last look of the mountain range. The sun was setting right behind it, making it look like the gate to a paradise had just been opened. I then turned around, and slid down the hill to catch up with Shun.

* * *

><p>HAPPY EARLY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! :p -puts on a little green hat and pulls out a leprechaun and dances around a pot of gold- XD i love my imagination. :D since i'm going to the St. Paddy's Day parade tomorrow and going to a car show before that, i don't know if i'll be able to upload. so, i'm doing an Irish jig before hand. -dances out of the door- read, review, and other things! XD ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	9. Acts Of Kindness

_Shun_

It was certainly a different experience to tell somebody else about my past. Everybody within our tight-nit community knew about my parents and what had happened to me, but Alice didn't. I wasn't sure if I wanted to at first, but I was kind of glad that I did.

The story about my parents had felt like something I had kept holed up inside for my entire life since I never had to tell anybody about it. So, it was like a relief to finally let it out. Alice was still up at the top of the hill. She was looking out towards the mountains that I had showed her. The moment she saw them, she was as mesmerized as I had been when I was younger.

Finally, she turned away from it and slid down the incline, almost tripping. Quickly, she regained her footing and walked towards me. Her face was slightly pink from her embarrassing mishap. I chuckled, finding it amusing. I was leading her back towards the home that I stayed in, when from another house, I heard somebody call out my name. "Shun!" Alice and I were both looking around for the person who was calling me.

It wasn't easy to spot them since the sun was setting and it was getting dark. I finally found them. It was a woman, but from the distance I was at, I couldn't place what her name was. I turned to Alice and said, "I'll be right back." She nodded as I jogged off towards the woman.

As I got closer, I saw the distinct age lines of a person who lived out in the Wastelands. I finally saw her face, and recognized who it was. "What do you need, Anna?" Her gray and brown hair was pulled up with something, revealing the rest of her features. She had to be no older than her thirties, yet she looked around her sixties.

It wouldn't be surprising if when she used to live out in the City, she had been beautiful. But the moment she was booted out here, that all vanished as stress began to age her. "We have a small hole in the floor and we were wondering if you could try and fix it sometime tomorrow."

This was the kind of stuff I had to do every once in a while, but I didn't mind it. I actually enjoyed helping out the people that I lived with. It made me feel like I was of some worth. "I'll drop by and fix it up sometime tomorrow." It would be an easy patch job as long as people weren't walking in and out of the house.

The woman smiled and thanked me, then retreated back into her home. During the short time that I had spoken with that woman, it had already turned dark, and the only light was from down at the City. Which wasn't very much since we were a good distance away from it. I did make out the shape of Alice standing at the edge of the houses and looking at the City though.

_Alice_

After Shun had walked off to talk with somebody, I made my way to the outer portion of the houses, and stared down at the City. According to my plans, I would have left by now, but I could spot Officials still going in and out of homes. I wondered how many people they may have taken away, if any.

I began to worry about my grandfather. Had they done anything to him? He was responsible for helping to build the City and making inventions that had helped us out, so they wouldn't take away somebody who was so important, right?

I did wish that I had brought him with me out into the Wastelands, but he probably wouldn't have even looked at the hole in the fence. I doubted that he'd do anything as extreme as turning me into the Officials. He would never do that to one of his own family.

The way he handle the Officials escorting me home, was proof enough for me. I saw Shun walking back towards me. "Sorry about that. Somebody wanted me to do some work for them tomorrow." I could hardly see him out in the dark. The only thing I could tell about him, were his amber eyes. They seemed to pop out against the black and gray world that was behind him.

"It's okay. I was just looking at the City." I turned back to face the place that was morally falling apart. Shun turned to look at himself, and said, "Missing home?" I let out a short laugh. "Maybe a little bit. But I'm more worried about the people that I care about that are still down there."

Shun nodded his head, and watched with me as the Officials went into home after home. They probably weren't even halfway done with their searches. I said, "I might have to stay here a little bit longer than I planned." Shun looked at me and said, "You know you're more than welcome to stay as long as you need to in Christina's book."

I smiled, remembered how open-armed Christina welcomed me back. "But does it bother you? Because you were expecting me to only stay until nightfall. I don't want to be a burden by staying longer than I told you." I couldn't read his facial expression, but his eyes were suggesting to me that he was smiling or grinning.

"It won't bother me if you need to stay here longer. I feel that I owe you that for saving me. Besides, you aren't a burden." I smiled, glad that he was more welcoming than the other day when he told me to leave the Wastelands. Behind us, I heard the creaking of a door open.

"It's dark now. You need to get inside now." We turned around to see Christina standing in the doorway of their home. Shun called back to her, "Alright." We started walking back towards the home when I asked, "Why does everyone have to be in by dark?"

It was probably a stupid question, but I was curious. If I was going to be spending more time out here, I at least wanted to know how things worked. "It's to make sure nobody gets lost out here. A lot of the kids are too young to find their way through the Wastelands, and many of the other people are either too old or so mentally messed up, that they would get lost as well. And getting lost out there would mean a definite death."

I hadn't given any thought about the kids wandering around out through the Wastelands. When I thought about it, I hadn't ever noticed them straying too far from the homes. Except for that little girl, Sarah. That was the only one though. The rest stayed right within the little cluster of homes.

It was nice to see how much these people looked out for each other. In the City, most people were too busy trying to take care of themselves. But these people had less than we did, and they still watched out for one another. Yeah, it was true that close friends and family would help out one another, but they were watching out for kids that weren't even theirs.

Christina was still standing in the doorway when we walked up the stairs. She saw me and asked, "Are you staying the night?" I nodded. "Yeah. The home check is taking longer than I thought it would," I replied. Christina smiled and said, "You stay however long you need to."

I thanked her, then looked at Shun, who was giving me an _"I told you so"_ look. I walked inside of the house, and Christina shut the door behind me. The kids didn't even care if I was there anymore. I was now a part of the everyday norm for them, even thought they had only seen me a few times.

They were all sitting around and eating on little portions of food, which I recognized as the food that Shun had taken from the market. That day felt so long ago with all of the other events that had happened since then. The little girl that I gave my bread to, Sarah, ran up to me and took my wrist in her small hand.

"Come and eat," she said in that innocent kid voice. This was probably her way of repaying me for giving her food. I smiled, then turned to look at Shun, who was smiling also. I sat down next to the little girl, and she handed me a piece of bread that was about the same size as the piece I gave her.

I smiled, and thanked her as I took the bread. I surprised that it still had held some of its freshness, considering the way it had been stored. It still had the fresh bread taste. After than. Christina herded them into their rooms; the boys slept in one, while the girls were in the other.

Christina slept in a sectioned off part of the girls' room, but only because they wanted her to be there in case one of them had a bad dream. I thought it was cute. I turned to find Shun pulling out spare blankets from a box. "What are you doing?" I asked, wondering why he would need extra covers seeing how hot it already was.

"Making my bed." I raised an eyebrow and blurted out, "But you already have one." He looked up at me. His face had an expression on it that was saying, _"Really?"_ He held the folded blankets in his arms and said, "You're going to have my bed tonight, and I'm going to make myself one in here so you can have some privacy if you need it."

I walked over to him and grabbed one of the ends of the blanket, which I saw had been handmade. "No. I'll take the floor. You keep your bed," I told him while trying to take the blankets. I wouldn't feel right if I allowed him to sleep on the floor when this was his world that I had walked into.

Shun wouldn't let me take the blankets from him though. He kept turning to the side every time I tried to snatch them. He said, "I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor. It wouldn't be right. Besides, it's not like it's the first time I've slept on the floor before."

It was clear that we were going to argue about who slept where. Right now, it was at a stalemate. He wanted to take the floor while I took his bed, and I was the other way around. Ultimately though, I knew he was going to win. And he did. I wasn't sure how he convinced me out of the argument, but he had.

Now, I found myself in his room, sitting on his bed while he was in the other room on the floor. It was nice of him to do this though. The bed was in about the same shape as mine, but maybe a tad bit smaller. But it didn't bother me. My feet weren't hanging off of the end, so that was good enough.

I did have to worry about rolling over and hitting the floor though. I looked around the room, and saw the window that I had peeked through the first time I came over here. I had looked in and found Shun laying in his bed, most likely dying of illness. I laid down on the bed.

For a moment, I felt like it was going to cave in from my weight, but I eventually saw that it wasn't going anywhere. My eyes began to grow heavy, and I soon drifted off to sleep. I instantly fell into a dream. It seemed normal at first. I was back at my home in the City. I could smell my grandfather cooking something for breakfast.

I walked up to him, and complimenting how good it smelled. He smiled at me, then went back to what he was doing. Then, several sets of hands broke through a window that was in front of him, and pulled him through. I screamed, "Grandfather!"

I ran from the house and made it just in time to see a group of Officials dragging him down the street. He was kicking and yelling at them to let him go, just like Margret had. They were also taking him to the same place they had taken her. "Let him go!" I screamed and started to run towards them.

I made it to the edge of our property, when a fence sprung up from the ground, trapping me inside. It was made of interlaced metal, which I had stuck my fingers through and began to try and pull it down. All it did was shake back and forth.

I was crying now, and still screaming for them to bring my grandfather back. I slid down to the ground, crying harder and harder. Then, I jolted awake. Tear stains were on my cheeks, and Shun had just ran into the room.

_Shun_

I had almost fallen asleep when I started to hear Alice crying from my room. She was also yelling at somebody to give her grandfather back. I got up from the floor and ran into my room, wondering what was going on. She had apparently been having I nightmare, and I got there just as she woke from it.

"What's wrong?" I asked frantically. Tears were still streaming from her eyes. Whatever dream she had, hadn't been pleasant. I ran over to her, and tried to calm her down before anybody else woke up. I sat her up and said softly, "It's alright. It was just a dream. Calm down."

I kept repeating that over and over in order to try to get her to relax, and it seemed to be working. "They took away my Grandfather. I couldn't help him. They took him away because of me," she said between sobs. I had no clue what she was talking about, but I tried to do the best I could to reassure her that it was nothing more than I dream.

She then tried to jump up and run from the room. I grabbed her by her shoulders and sat her back down on the bed. I made her look me right in my eyes and said, "Calm down. You were having a dream. Your grandfather is alright. I promise you."

She took in slow breaths, and seemed to be coming back to her senses. "It….It was j-just a dream?" I nodded slowly, and was then attacked by an unexpected hug from her. She buried her face into my chest and was saying how scared she had been that something had happened to her grandfather.

I didn't really know what to do other than let her calm down and relax. She would probably not even go back to sleep the rest of the night, seeing how freaked out she was. Instead of standing there like a statue, I hugged her back in an attempt to try to make her relax.

It seemed to be working, and I slowly made her sit back down on the edge of the bed. She wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. "Are you alright now?" She nodded her head slowly, almost as if she wasn't entirely sure. I ran a hand through my hair and said, "I'll be right back."

She didn't protest or say anything as I walked from the room. I found a clean cloth and filled a cup with water that Christina had purified sometime during the day. I ran back into the room, and handed the cloth and water to Alice. She took a sip from the cup, then dried her eyes with the cloth.

I asked her, "Do you want to tell me what happened?" I was trying my best to find a way to comfort her. This was why I let Christina handle the nightmares that the kids had, because I was not good at it. Alice shook her head, obviously still too freaked out from whatever had played in her sleep.

I sat down next to her on the bed. It wouldn't be right to leave her alone when she was in a state like this. I told her, "I'm going to stay here until you either fall asleep or feel like telling me what your dream was about." She looked at me with puffy eyes and nodded.

I sat there next to her for a few minutes before I started to nod off. Alice was next to me, doing the same thing. It was clear that one of us was about to doze off. I felt her lean her head on my arm, and saw that she had fallen asleep. Before I knew it, I had gone out as well.

* * *

><p>oh. my. gosh. i am so tired. and sunburned. o.o i swear. i look like one of the Dancing Lobsters from the Amanda Show. o.o i kid you not. beh. sunday. the last day of my spring break. DX then i go back to school and have the take a state test, then the band leaves for Disney World. -.- so. much. stuff. -runs in circle screaming and pulling hair out- i'm going to stock up on tons of spray sunscreen and Chex Mix o.o i shall prepare for the end of the world! *-* read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~ (PS. wear your sunscreen so you dont get called into the courtroom!)<p> 


	10. Real Or Not Real

_Shun_

I woke up, practically hanging off of my bed. I propped myself up with my elbow, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. When they came back into focus, I was faced with the back of Alice's head. It took me a moment to remember that I had fallen asleep while I was trying to comfort her after she had a nightmare.

Quietly, I climbed out of my bed, being extremely careful not to wake her. I made it out of the room without disturbing her sleep. "Shun?" I jumped when Christina said my name. I was too focused on getting out of the room without waking Alice. "Huh?" She was the only one in the room. Either the kids were still asleep, or were outside playing. Most likely the second scenario.

I sat down at the makeshift table that was in the room. Christina was cleaning our food box of spoiled contents that couldn't be salvaged. "What was all that commotion last night?" I yawned, stilled rubbing the last of the sleep out of my eyes. "It was Alice. I guess she had some kind of bad dream. Because when I walked in there, she was seriously freaked out about her grandfather. She wouldn't tell me though, so I don't know what really went on."

Christina looked over at the closed room and said, "I hope she's going to be okay." I nodded. I hadn't ever seen anyone that out of it from a dream; I had seen my share of people losing their minds though. Out of the old window, I could see the sun was vanishing behind gray clouds.

Christina saw this as well and said, "Looks like we'll finally be getting some rain soon. Good. We were running low on water." The ominous clouds were coming from the direction of the mountains, and coming in fast. If they did hold rain, it would be here within the hour. I said, "If it's going to rain, then I better go and fix Anna's floor before the bottom falls out."

Christina nodded as she put the food that was still good, back in the box. "That might be a smart idea." She handed me a small portion of food to eat. I wasn't all that hungry, but that didn't mean that I wouldn't be later on during the day. Especially if I was going to be doing work.

I heard the click of my room door, and Alice stepped out. Her hair was slightly messed up, but it looked like she had tried to fix it. Her eyes were still red from where she had cried last night. I stood up from the table and made my way towards her. "How are you doing?" I asked softly.

She rubbed her eye like I had been doing mine all morning. "Fine. I need to get going." She turned to walk out of the house, but I stopped her by grabbing her wrist. She turned and looked at my hand with confusion. "Go? After how you were last night? Don't you think you should at least rest a little bit more and make sure you're fit for travel?"

I knew she could make the short trek back to the City, but she still looked dazed and lost. Almost like she couldn't decide what was real or not. "I wish I could stay more, but I have to make sure my Grandfather isn't hurt." She tried to slip through my grip, but I wasn't letting her go anywhere.

"Alice, that was just a dream. I'm sure he's fine." Her expression told me that she didn't believe me. "I have to make sure though," she said sternly. She stared me down, but her face still showed signs of the fear and grief she was showing last night.

I sighed, and let go of her wrist. Her hand fell by her side. "Alright. Go and make sure your grandfather is okay." She thanked me for understanding, and ran from the house. I prayed that nothing bad happened to her.

_Alice_

The only let-up I had from my nightmare, was when I had fallen asleep the second time. Maybe it was because Shun said he wasn't going to leave until I fell asleep, and I felt safe from whatever might be out there that was trying to hurt me.

But the moment I woke up, I immediately thought about my grandfather. I couldn't stop thinking about my dream, and how I had to watch as he was taken away to some mysterious place by the Officials. A tear rolled down my cheek. I had to know if he was okay. I climbed out of the bed, and ran out of the room.

Shun and Christina were in the other room. They both saw me, and Shun was the one who stood up and walked over to me. He asked if I was alright, and I told him I was fine. He didn't seem to believe me though. When I told him what I was about to do, he grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let me leave.

He kept on telling me how my grandfather was probably fine, and that it was all a bad dream. I didn't care if it had been the happiest dream in my life, I wanted to make sure he was safe. Shun finally let me go, and I ran out of the house.

Quickly, I started to close the distance between me and the City. I would be there in no time. Above me, the sky had clouded over with clouds. They looked like they were going to bring rain soon. I ignored them, and kept my mind set on getting back to my grandfather.

My eyes locked onto the opening in the fence, and I didn't hesitate to slip through it. Any thoughts or worries I had about the Officials didn't even occur to me. I just wanted to get back and home and see if everything was just as I had left it. If there were any Officials standing around, I didn't notice them. I ran up the walkway of my house, and through the front door. "Grandfather? Are you in here?"

My heart dropped when nobody answered back. "Grandfather!" Still nothing. Frantically, I began to run around the house looking for him. All of the rooms were empty. When I ran back into the kitchen, I saw that the table that he always sat in, had been flipped over. _That doesn't mean anything. That table always falls over._

I started to think that he may have gone into the City for something, and that he would be back any minute. But I didn't want to wait a minute. I wanted to know where he was right then and there. I ran out of the house and started to make my way towards the market, thinking that I would find him there.

Up ahead, I saw Runo standing around one of the vendors. "Alice?" She started to run towards me, and stopped when she finally reached me. "Alice? Where have you been?" Her voice was strained and her words came out quickly. "I wish I could tell you, Runo. But I need to find my Grandfather."

Her facial expression turned from worried, to grim. I noticed this drastic change and asked, "What happened, Runo? Tell me!" She grabbed one of my hands, and walked me over to the Courtyard across the street. She sat me down on a bench. "I want you to be sitting down, Alice." I shook her hand off of my shoulder.

"Where is my Grandfather?" I demanded. A few people turned around when I shouted. Runo shushed me by holding her finger up to her lips. "You really don't know?" I was almost on the verge of tears. If she knew where my grandfather was, then why didn't she just tell me already and save me so much worry? "Just tell me. Please," I begged.

Runo sat down next to me on the bench, and looked at me with her same grim expression. "The Officials took him away sometime last night. They were saying that he was plotting an escape from the City and conspiring with the Outcasts."

I couldn't believe my ears. My grandfather had never spoke to an Outcast in his life. And plotting an escape? He had never gone ten feet near the fence because he obeyed the laws of the City. _They were trying to get to me through my Grandfather._ Tears were now flooding down my face.

I didn't know what was worse, the dream where I watched the Officials take him away, or not even knowing it and now finding out from one of my friends. I pushed myself from the bench, and started to run back towards my house. I didn't want to believe it.

I couldn't come to terms with the idea that my grandfather had been taken away, was too horrible for me to even think about. People stared at me when I ran by them. They were probably wondering why I was crying. I ran back into my house, locking the door behind me.

A part of me was saying that was the right thing to do in case somebody tried to walk in. They'd at least have to work their way in if they wanted to get to me. But it didn't seem like I had been followed from what I could tell. I pulled the curtains shut on every window.

All I wanted to do was be alone, and not disturbed by anyone. I paced around the kitchen before setting the fallen table upright. It was all so surreal. They didn't have to take away my grandfather. I would have gladly taken his place if it meant that he would be safe.

After all, this did happen because of me. I was sure of it. Other than the table, nothing else had been disturbed. All of it was the same as it looked when I left the other day. Out of anger and frustration, I stomped my foot down on the wooden floor. It didn't make the usual sound it did.

This was more hollow sounded than solid. I bent down, and traced my fingers along the wood board. There was a semicircle cut at the top of the board, which I had always thought had been a hole. But it was certainly cut by human hands. I hit against the board with my knuckles.

It made that hollow sound, and even moved a little bit. This board wasn't nailed down like the rest of them were. I had lived in this house all of my life, and never noticed this strange board until now. I looked back up at the hole at the top of the board. Slowly, I hooked my index finger in it, and lifted up.

The board came up with no resistance. I laid it over to the side, and was faced with a small hole that was dug into the dirt underneath. Rock solid dirt made up the sides of the hole, which was no bigger than a square foot. But resting in the center of the hole, was a rusted metal box.

It had to be something my grandfather had hidden. How else would it have gotten there? Carefully, I lifted the box from its hiding spot, being cautious as to not cut myself on the jagged edges. I set it down next to the board that I removed. The lid wouldn't budge, when I saw a little button on the front of the box.

I placed my thumb on it, and pushed it to the side. The lid then popped up slightly, allowing me to view the contents inside. I lifted it up, and was greeted with a yellow-stained piece of paper. When I took it out, it felt as if it would fall apart in my hands. The edges were brittle, and little pieces of the paper were flaking off and landing in my lap and on the floor.

It made crinkling sounds as I unfolded it. My eyes widened when I saw what was on the inside. In faded colors, was a map. It showed a little place circled, and next to that was written in ink, _"City."_ All around that, was a gray color that had _"Wastelands" _on it. There was another circle that seemed to be about a mile from the City.

_That has to be where the Outcasts live._ And beyond that, was a group of triangles that represented mountains. There was a question mark on the other side of them. I found that there was more to the map, and unfolded it the rest of the way. There were more spots circled along in the Wastelands.

Nothing was written beside them. What did they represent? When I looked closer at the map, I noticed there was a faint line that started at our City and went from circle to circle, then ended at the mountain range. It was marking directions to take. I looked back in the box, wondering if anything else was inside of it.

And there was. It was another piece of paper, newer and smaller than the map that I had found. It was folded the same way. Written in my grandfather's handwriting, was a list of detailed instructions. They were explaining what steps to take for escaping the City, and where to go after that.

They ended up at the mountain range, and just like on the map, the step after that had a question mark. _My Grandfather….He was actually trying to escape. _An educated guess was that the circles on the map, were actually more Cities that were like ours.

I suddenly grew paranoid, and hid the map and instructions in the pocket of my dress. I dropped the box back down in its secret hole, and covered it back up with the board. This was why they took my grandfather away. What Runo had told me was true; he was planning an escape and was going to help out the Outcasts along the way.

But why would he want to leave and go someplace, that he wasn't even sure existed? He had to know something that was going to happen. Making sure that the map couldn't be seen from my pocket, I left out of the house as naturally as I could.

I knew if I had been at home when they took my grandfather away, they would have taken me as well. Whether I knew his plans or not. Right now, I could be killed for having this map. I slipped back through the fence, and ran out into the Wastelands. There wasn't any reason to worry about being seen anymore.

They were already hunting me, I was sure. I placed my hand on the pocket that held the map. Shun needed to see it. This map was something that was concerning a possible freedom on the other side of those mountains, and he had every right to know.

* * *

><p>ah. suspenseful? isnt it? :p <strong>no uploads from March 22-26. <strong>i'm going on a band trip, and there shall be no internet. unless i can talk my boyfriend into letting me use his laptop. which i doubt he's bringing it. oh well. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	11. Freeze Frame

_Shun_

Rain fell on and off all morning. I had gotten caught in it once, but only for a brief moment. After that, I was at Anna's home to repair her damaged floor. Lucky for me, the rain had ceased for a while, which allowed them to go outside while I worked without all of the residents crammed around me.

Outside, the sun was peeking out from behind an opening in the storm clouds. Although a decent amount of rain fell, it was still hot enough to cause me to sweat. I sat back on the floor, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I had only a few more nails left, and then I would be done for the day. _As long as nobody else needs anything done._ I sighed, and picked up another nail.

Quickly, I finished patching up the hole in the floor, and walked out of the house, relieved that I was finally done with the task. I looked up at the gray sky, then down at the City. Alice had gone there sometime in the morning, and still wasn't back yet.

I couldn't help but feel that something had actually happened to her grandfather, or something may have happened to her. Just as my worry was starting to build, I saw her running through the Wastelands. I darted off towards her, wanting to know what all had happened.

When I got closer to her, I saw that her eyes looked red and puffy. She had definitely been crying. We stopped right in front of each other, and before I could say anything, she wrapped her arms around me and started to speak. "They took him away….They took my Grandfather away."

Her voice was shaking as she began to start crying again. I felt my stomach drop when she said what happened to her grandfather. I had been telling her that he was okay. That nothing had happened to him, and that everything was fine.

I hated the feeling I had of not being able to keep my word, but it wasn't like I could do anything. All I was able to do, was try and comfort her as much as possible. Deep down though, I felt that both of us knew something happened to him.

She let go of me, wiping away a tear from her eye and apologizing for the unexpected hug. I told her there was nothing wrong with it. She needed as much support as she could get. Then, it was like a switch flipped in her, and she began to dig around in a pocket on her dress.

"I think you should look at this. It was something my Grandfather hid in our house, and I'm pretty sure it was what the Officials may have been looking for." She pulled out an aged piece of paper, and handed it to me. It was rough and brittle, and I was scared that it would turn to dust at any moment. I was about to unfold it, when a tiny drop of water landed on my arm.

We looked up and saw the storm clouds were rolling in again, bringing more rain along with them. I handed the paper back to her and said, "Keep it in your pocket so it won't get wet. I'll look at it when we get back to the house." She nodded and tucked the paper away like I had said.

The bottom fell out of the sky, and we began to get dowsed with rain. Alice made sure to cover the pocket with her hand, but I was sure that the paper had gotten a little wet. We ran up the stairs to the house, and slipped through the door. Both of us were already dripping wet, which didn't bother me since I had been covered in sweat and dust for most of the morning.

Alice had already pulled the paper out, and remarkably, it was still dry and intact. She was handing it back to me, and I took it. Carefully, I unfolded it without trying to tear any corners or sides. This was something of her grandfather's after all, and I didn't want to ruin it. Another piece of paper fell out and landed on the floor. It was newer than the sheet I held in my hands, but I still made a note to handle it with care as well.

I smoothed the older sheet of paper out on the floor, and saw it was a map that had been drawn by hand. Words and symbols were scribbled on random locations, but there were several that stood out to me. One, was the fact that the City was circled, along with our little town of Outcasts.

Another thing that stood out for me, was the fact that lines were drawn from circle to circle, and ended at the mountains, where a question mark was drawn behind them. Alice then picked up the other sheet of paper, unfolded it, and handed it to me.

"I found these under the floor in my house. They were locked away in a metal box. It was just the map and those instructions." The newer paper had a list of directions to take through the Wastelands. An escape route. It ended right behind the mountain range, but it was clear that not even her grandfather knew what was beyond them.

This map was only for those who had to be truly desperate to get out of the City. But, then why had all my home, along with other places, been circled and designated as stops along the way? Anyone who was desperate enough to trek across the Wastelands, wasn't going to make stops along the way.

They were going to go right to their destination. I stared at the map and directions, still trying to figure them out. While I did that, Alice began to fill me in about her grandfather. "The Officials, they took him away because they said he was planning an escape, and was also conspiring with Outcasts. I didn't believe it, until I found all of that. I just…I can't believe he kept something like this hidden from me."

I understood why she hated secrets being kept from her. Especially when they directly involved her. I thought back to how people tried to pretend that my parents hadn't died in order to protect me. But I was old enough to see past that. I knew and accepted it as life, they just didn't want to. I placed my hand on Alice's and said, "He probably kept it from you in order to protect you.

Something like this could have gotten you in trouble, even though you knew nothing about it." She nodded, which told me she already was aware of this. Her eyes moved from my hand, to the map on the floor. "What I don't understand is the reason that anyone would need an escape map. I mean, I know the City is strict and all that, but running away would only result in certain death. Grandfather had to of known that something was going to happen."

I stared down at the map with her, trying to solve the puzzle that she had just given to me. There was some validation behind the issue of why this map was created. I was sure her grandfather didn't make escape route maps for a hobby, and I was sure he wasn't the type to make something like this as a joke.

I re-examined the aging on the map and directions. It was clear that the map was made before the instructions. The only thing that made sense to me, was that the instructions were made in case something happened to the map. That way, there was still a way to make it through the designated spots on the map.

I still couldn't figure out the 'why factor' of the map. Why was it made, other than for use of making it through the Wastelands? Everything had a reason, so what was this map's? I probably would never know. The only person who did, was her grandfather. And he was somewhere in the City, either dead or locked away in a prison.

Alice then stood up. She straightened the skirt of her dress and said, "You can look over that map all you want. I just felt that I needed to show it to you." She started to walk towards the door. I scrambled up to my feet and asked, "Whoa. Where are you going now? I could really use your help figuring out why your grandfather made that map."

Outside, I heard that the rain had stopped. She looked up at me with her brown eyes. They looked tired and filled with sadness, showing all that she had gone through recently. There was something about that look on her face that made her look like she had lived out in the Wastelands for most of her life.

"I'm going back to try and find my Grandfather. I know what happened to him, so I have a good idea of where he's at…..All I want to know is if he's still alive or not. That way, I can try and ease my mind as much as I can." I hated the idea of allowing her to go back to the City.

Especially now that I knew that her grandfather had been taken away because of his plans. Now, she could be taken away as well, just for being related to him. I wouldn't know if something happened to her unless she didn't show back up. I didn't like the idea of something happening to her.

I cared too much about her. Maybe even more than my own self. Which wasn't saying much, since I put most people ahead of my own needs. But I did really care about her. Or at least, assumed what was caring. Because I couldn't place how I really felt about her.

"Be careful when you go back. From what you've told me, things are getting worse in the City." Alice nodded and said, "They are. And don't worry, I'm going to try my best not to get caught by any Officials." She ran out of the house and back through the Wastelands.

It kept feeling like her visits here were getting shorter and shorter. Maybe they were, and I just didn't realize it. The clouds had gone from a dark gray, to a lighter shade. The rain was probably over for the day. I stepped out onto the little patio of the house, and looked out in the distance.

Dark water flowed through the Wastelands in its little stream. We would have water for a couple of days or weeks, which seemed to be the only good thing I could think of. Everything else was the worst outcome that could happen. With my eyes, I was able to make out the shape of Alice going back through the fence. _She's really not like the rest of them._

_Alice_

I wished I had stayed behind to help Shun out with the map, but all that was on my mind, was my grandfather. I was running behind people's houses in order to not be seen. There was no telling where or when an Official would pop up. I knelt down behind a staircase. The mud and water underneath me was dampening the ends of my dress. I looked down at it, and saw my reflection.

With my bright orange hair, I stood out too much. As far as I knew, I was the only one with this color of hair in the City. I would easily be spotted if I walked through a crowd of people. This inconvenience needed to be fixed somehow if I was going to find my grandfather.

I looked around, trying to find something I could use to my advantage. My eyes fell on a cloak that somebody had hung up to dry after the rain. I ran over to it, snatched it off the line, and ran back to my staircase. It was damp, but it would dry quickly.

I pulled the cloak over my head, and flipped the hood up over my hair. I wouldn't look all that suspicious; it was cooling down outside, so I had every right to wear something warm. I ran from around the houses and blended into the crowds of people that were walking down the muddied road. Things felt normal, but I knew that they weren't. Something that was going on in this City, wasn't right.

It was like I could see, even smell, the corruption and evil that was at play. I slipped away from the crowd, and jogged down the street that held the City's jail. People were allowed to visit, but I didn't need to take the chance of walking into the building and getting recognized.

So, I went around the back of the jail. Little square openings were along the ground. When you looked through the iron bars of the squares, you were looking into cells. Most of the time, they were empty. But not now. Almost all of them were full with people. They all had probably been taken to jail during the home search, just as my grandfather had been.

I checked everyone of the cells. None of them had my grandfather in them. Slowly, I felt my hope that he was alive, slipping away. I kept walking around the jail, and slipped through a small alley that was between the very back and another building. There were little whimpers coming from one of the cell windows. I knelt down and looked through the bars, then gasped. It was Margret.

She was laying in the middle of the call, her limbs tied with duct tape and rope. Her mouth was also taped closed, and her eyes were blindfolded. Blood was coming from her wrists and ankles where the ropes were at. She had probably cut them open while struggling to break free.

How long had she been like this? She looked emaciated, which told me they hadn't been giving her any food for a while. "Margret," I said under my breath. My voice's tone was filled with shock and sadness. Margret must have heard my voice, because she held her head up and began to thrash about.

Under the tape that was on her mouth, she was screaming and crying. Her sounds were like that of a dying or trapped animal. I shut my eyes, trying to hold back tears that were starting to form. I hated seeing anyone like this, and in this much pain.

But what was worse, the Officials could have been doing to same thing to my grandfather as they had done to Margret. The cell door slid open, and I panicked. Before they had a chance to see me through the window, I ran. I didn't know what they were about to do to Margret, but I wasn't going to stick around and find out.

I pulled the hood of my cloak further down so it covered more of my face. I went back behind the houses, and followed my way back to the fence so I could get away from the horror that I just witness. My world froze, when I saw the hole in the fence was gone.

* * *

><p>I'M HOME! I'M HOME! I'M HOME! I'M HOMMMMMMMMMEEEEE! you have no idea how happy i am about that. four days of getting up at 6:30 and walking in the heat until 10:30 at night is just too much. Disney World was fun though. i certainly don't ever want to bring a little kid there though. o.o that would be too much trouble. ah well, good to be home. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	12. Poison Secrets

_Alice_

Sheer panic swept over my body. I felt as if I would be unable to move, but I found myself in a dead run. I needed to get away from that fence. That was the right place. That was where the opening was. I was sure of it. And now, it was no longer there. Did the Officials know that I was back in the City?

They had to, or else they wouldn't have picked now to repair the hole in the fence. I now felt like there were eyes everywhere, all of them watching my movements. For a moment, I thought I began to hear the whispers of the people who were after me. They were hissing, _"We have you now. You're not getting away this time. You're ours."_

This only made me run faster. My eyes scanned and scanned for the source of the voices, but I soon realized that they had to be the result of the paranoia that had overtaken my mind. I ran deeper into the part of the City that the Officials wouldn't go near.

What was stopping them from chasing me down, since they had just taken away the hole in the fence? I didn't want to stop, but my legs felt as if they were on fire. My pace began to slow, and I knew that I couldn't go much further. I had to rest, but I wasn't about to do that in the open.

I needed a place to hide out, to figure out what my next move would be. I needed the Wastelands. But that was now out of my reach. I snuck behind and old home, and found an opening in the deck underneath. I knelt down, and wiggled my way into the small space.

Inside, there was a lot more room than the opening seemed to provide. Enough room, that I was able to sit upright. I peered out from little holes in the wood, checking for any Officials that may have tagged along. The whole area was empty.

There was hardly any life except from the rats and other vermin that thrived in this dead portion of the City. I squealed when a small rodent ran across my hand. Scared and panic-stricken, I pressed myself against the small wood wall and began to cry.

I didn't want to get caught, but I was sure the Officials knew where I was at, and that they would show up any minute and drag me away. _I should have stayed back in the Wastelands. I should have stayed with Shun. Then none of this would be happening to me._

I shut my eyes, and waited for them to take me away. But they never came. Slowly, I opened my eyes and found that it was turning dark. Were they waiting for me to come out of my hiding spot so they'd have an easier time of arresting me? I doubted that I would have been much of an opponent for the Officials, who were the strongest of all of us in the City.

Cautiously, I crept out from my space under the old deck, and examined my surroundings. There was nobody around. Just me and the rats. I dusted the spider webs off of myself, but still felt dingy and in much need of a bath. I began to calm down.

Perhaps the Officials didn't come after me. But that didn't mean that the closing of the hole in the fence wasn't intended for me. The disappearance of the opening in the fence, was directed right at me. Nobody else. Just me. I flipped the hood of my cloak back over my head, just in case I still needed to conceal my face.

I took the back way through the City to decrease my chances of running into an Official. I felt so tired. Almost like I couldn't go on much longer. The feeling of being watched at every turn and corner, was so overwhelming. I dropped down on my knees, and leaned my back against the brick of a building.

Shun was probably wondering what was going on. He had insisted that I not go, and it may have been a good idea to take his advice. But no. I wanted to find the impossible. I wanted to satisfy my curiosity and put an ease to my mind. Now, I felt more mixed up than ever.

I shut my eyes, allowing as much of my stress to flow from me as I could. "Alice?" I jumped when my name was said. My eyes were looking around, and they finally fell on Dan. I let out a sigh of relief that it was only my friend, but I then began to grow with worry and suspicion.

What if the Officials had put a bounty on my head? As poor as some of us were, it didn't matter if at one point Dan and I were friends. If there was money or food involved, he would probably turn me in for it. Anyone would for that fact. Even Runo or Julie. "Alice, where have you been?"

I pushed myself back along the ground, only to find myself cornered against the brick wall. I couldn't trust anybody. Too much was on the line for me to get caught now. Dan slowly approached me, as if I were some kind of frightened animal that would dart away at any sudden movement. And I was sure that I would.

Dan leaned over and held a hand out to me. "Alice, it's me, Dan. Calm down." There was a gentleness behind his voice. If he was planning on turning me into the Officials, then he was doing a good job of hiding it. I stared at Dan's hand for a moment, not sure if I should take it or not.

I was at a crucial point that I needed to think my actions through. "Are you going to turn me in?" I asked. Dan raised an eyebrow. "What? Turn you in? What are you talking about, Alice? Why would I do that? I'm just trying to help you." Either he was being honest, or doing a good job at acting.

Unconsciously, I took his hand. A part of me felt that I needed somebody to trust now. And who better than Dan? Somebody that I had known all of my life. He helped me to my feet. They felt like water under my weight, and I wondered if I had it in me to walk.

Dan helped to steady me, and I thanked him in return. We were walking through the buildings when I asked, "Where are we going?" He directed me to round a corner, in which I complied with. "You need somewhere to stay tonight, and you're closer to my house than your's."

How far had I ran through the City? It was true that Dan didn't live that far from me, but it was still a good distance. Up ahead, I saw that we were walking towards a street. I began to panic. "No! I can't go out into the open!" I tried to turn and run, but Dan's grip on my arm wasn't going to allow that. "Alice! Chill! Why can't you go out there?"

Him asking me that verified that he knew nothing of the events that were taking place before him, or any of the things that I had done. I kept my mouth shut though. It wouldn't be smart of me to blabber to him about all of the illegal stuff I had done within the week.

His eyes were caring, and his voice soft when he asked, "Are you acting like this cause of your grandfather?" I blinked a few times. My grandfather was a variable in this, but not the overall reason. I decided to take Dan's assumption, and use it to my advantage.

"Yeah. They took him away, and I'm scared that they'll do the same to me." Dan gave me a sad smile and said reassuringly, "They're not after you, Alice. I promise." _How are you so sure? You don't know about Shun. Or the map I found under my house._

Dan began to lead me back towards the street, and I followed him. I wasn't sure why though. Maybe I just wanted to believe that things were normal again. But had they ever really been _normal_?

_Shun_

I couldn't think of anything else other than what was going on in the City. Had Alice been captured or spotted and taken away like her grandfather? I probably wouldn't ever know if she was. My feet hung off the side of the roof as I sat on top of one of the houses.

When I was little, the roofs supported my weight. But now, they had aged, and I had gotten bigger. The wooded roof groaned under me, threatening to break and cause me to fall through. I had to distribute my weight evenly so that wouldn't happen, but I still probably shouldn't have been up there.

Other than the hill behind the orphanage and the mountains, it was the highest point anywhere in the Wastelands. So, I was using it as a means to look down at the City. Nobody seemed to bother me as long as I was up there. They just let me be. I wasn't complaining.

I needed some time to myself to sort through things. Out of habit, I pulled the map out and began to look over it again. I had done that a lot since Alice left it with me while she went searching for her grandfather. As many times as I had looked over it, I hadn't come up with any answers.

Only more questions. I sighed in aggravation, and folded it back up. Maybe if Alice did ever find her grandfather, she could try and get him to tell her about the map. But I knew that was just a wish. The odds of him being alive were very slim.

His chances of living were probably lower than ours out here in the Wastelands. The sun was in its place of high-noon. Thanks to the rain, the air was cool, not hot like it would normally have been. I was messing with the dust and dirt on the roof, when I looked over to my right. Not too far away from the last of our little cluster of houses, was Sarah. She wasn't out too far in the Wastelands to cause any worry.

She probably wasn't more than ten or twenty yards from the last house, and well within my sight. I smiled, remembering how nice it was to be a kid, and how it was before I knew of the harsh realities that I had been brought into against my will. I looked back at Sarah, and watched her fall onto the ashen ground.

At first, I thought she had tripped and would get up and brush herself off. But a hollow feeling started to form in my chest the longer she stayed down. "Sarah!" I called from the roof. She didn't move. I felt my eyes widen, and without realizing it, I was on the ground and running towards her.

Christina had apparently heard me yelling the little girl's name, because she had stepped out from our home and was looking around. She caught a glance of me when I ran past her. "Shun!" She was running behind me, and quickly caught up with me.

She kept asking me what was going on, and suddenly stopped talking. I assumed she saw Sarah laying on the ground. We both got to the little girl at the same time. Christina, using the best of her medical abilities she had, began to look over the little girl.

I didn't see any cuts or scratches on her skin, but she did look pale in color. "What's wrong with her?" I asked. Christina shook her head, still checking over Sarah for injuries. "I don't know. I don't know." She bent over, and scooped the little girl up in her arms, then began to run back towards the orphanage.

I chased after her. When I cleared the door, Christina had placed Sarah on the makeshift bed that I had left out when Alice stayed the night. I knew why Christina was working so hard to figure out what was wrong with the girl.

It was one thing when an adult died out in the Wastelands, but it was a whole different story when it came down to a child. Nobody wanted to watch somebody so young, and so new to the world, die. Even if that world was a harsh and cruel one. Christina ran a hand over Sarah's forehead.

"She's burning up." Images of when I fell ill came into my mind. "What about the antibiotics Alice left us?" Christina's head popped up. "I forgot about those! Quick! Get me some out!" I ran over to our box of goods, and dug out the bottle. I tossed it to Christina, who quickly dumped two pills into her hands.

Those pills had worked quickly on me, so they should do the same on Sarah. Christina made the sick girl swallow the pills, then she sat back and stared, almost like she was waiting for them to take affect. I stood back and out of the way, and looked down at Sarah. I thought about how the little girl had been when Alice stayed with us.

This little girl was much too nice and innocent to have something so horrible as illness take her life. She was even too young to have discovered the horrible world that we lived in. Two hours passed by, and there was no let-up from whatever was making her sick.

Christina had given her several more pills, but she didn't want to make her take anymore because she feared anymore would make it worse. Christina shook her head and said, "I don't understand. Why aren't they working? They should be working."

I could hear the desperation in her voice. These were like her children to her. She had known them pretty much since they were born. She loved them, and didn't want to watch them die when she knew she could do something. Sarah coughed as she started to wake from her unconsciousness. Christina leaned over and asked, "Sarah, do you remember what you did before you fainted earlier?"

Now, Christina's voice was much softer and caring. She didn't want to make this child worry. The little girl who was laying on the pile of blankets, didn't look like the one who had been running around and playing not three hours ago.

I could barely hear Sarah's voice as she spoke, but I was able to make out what she was saying. "I was playing….Near the stream….That's all I did…..I promise." The way she spoke, made it sound like she had done something wrong.

Even while probably dying, she was still a little kid. I looked at Christina and said, "I'll go and check around the stream. Maybe something bit her and we didn't see the bit." She nodded as I left out. It wouldn't be surprising if a snack was around the water, especially after the rain replenished the stream.

The closer I got to the source of water, a pungent odor grew stronger. It reeked and smelled of something that burned my nose. I covered my face with the crook of my arm so I wouldn't choke on the smell. When I got to the stream, the little water grasses that grew in the bottom, had turned brown and died.

Water bugs that once swam and lived in the water, also floated at the surface. Dead. I looked in the direction of where the water flowed from, and walked upstream. Up ahead, I saw something laying next to the bank. I looked it over. It was a medium sized canister, and a powder was on the rim of the can.

I kicked it over with my foot. The object was too new to be something that had already been in the Wastelands. By its design and material, it could only have been something made in the City. Underneath, some of the powder had fallen on the ground and mixed with the damp earth.

The little grasses that had been trying to grow in that spot, were now dead like everything else in the water. It was clear, this was the source of what was going on. Our water had been poisoned, and it wasn't on accident. Somebody in the City had gone out here, and done this as a means to try and kill us off.

I was sure of it. Sarah, and no telling how many more people, were now dying from that water. No amount of purification could clean that. It was a toxic poison that would wipe us off the face of the Earth.

A simple way for the City and its people to rid us so we would no longer be a burden to them. All while I was running back to warn the people that I lived with, my hate for the City only grew stronger.

* * *

><p>gah. is it just me, or have people been extra annoying today? -.- they have to me. i swear. and like, super loud. well, before i ran, i will allow you all to read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	13. The Lying Game

_Shun_

As far as I knew, I had stopped anyone else from drinking the tainted water. Everyone I told was just as shocked as I was when I told them about the City poisoning our only source of water. Well, they may have been more surprised than me. This was something that wasn't below them. I stopped in front of the steps of the orphanage. It was Christina's turn to hear the news.

She was probably still trying to care for Sarah, when there was nothing else we could do. This was something completely out of our abilities. We could not play God. _But the City acts like they can, _I thought bitterly. I walked up the steps and through the door. My assumption was correct. She was in the same place, tending to Sarah's fever. It looked like the little girl may have thrown up during my absence.

It was the only thing her body could do to try and rid it of its toxins. Christina looked up at me, then leaned over Sarah and whispered to her, "I'll be right back after I finish talking with Shun." The little girl didn't acknowledge her. She only laid there, still and ghost-like.

I bit my lower lip, feeling a sickening weight form in my stomach. Sarah didn't do anything to suffer like this. If anything, I was more deserving of such pain. I had been the one who stole food from the City. That should have been enough for my death right then and there.

But no. An innocent child had to be the one to take my place. Christina and I stepped outside so none of the other children or Sarah would hear us talk. I let out a long sigh. When had I started to feel so old and tired? I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, "The City poisoned the water. That's what's making her sick."

Christina's eyes widened. "They poisoned it?" Her voice told me that she knew it was true, but she didn't want to believe it. I nodded slowly, trying to find an easier way to explain everything. "How do you know?" she asked. It wasn't like she was accusing me of lying, but she sure didn't want to admit that I was telling the truth.

"There's a canister of some kind of powder further up the stream. It's got all the signs of being made in the City. It's the only explanation." She sighed, running a hand through her dark hair. She would have to come to terms with this sooner or later. Sooner would probably be for the best.

"So there's nothing I can do for her….." I saw her face drain of color. I didn't want to give up so easily, but what else could I do? We had nothing to clean out the poison from Sarah's blood. The City might, but we had nothing. _The City._ I turned and looked out into the distance at the fenced enclosure.

Surely if they made something like this, they had also made something to counteract it. But even if there was a way for me to sneak into the City and find such a thing, I doubted that Sarah had much time left. I didn't notice that Christina was talking to me until she tapped me on my shoulder.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at her with a confused expression. She asked, "What are you thinking about?" I shook my head. "Nothing. I was just wondering if the City had anything to work against the poison, but it's not worth the risk of going there."

Christina stared at me before saying, "If it meant helping Sarah or anyone else that got ill, then I'd say go. But you're right. It's not worth the risk." We had to take our losses. I had gotten lucky once, and my chances of making it out of the City a second time, we very slim. "I'm sure Alice would know what to do," I blurted out without realizing it.

Christina gave me a sad smile before retreating back into the house behind us. I doubt she would tell Sarah what was happening to her other than the water was bad. It wouldn't be right to blatantly tell a young child that they were dying, when they hardly understood life as it was.

I found myself looking back out at the City. My feet began to move, and I walked to the edge of the houses that made up our home. A light wind blew, causing ash to fly past me. I shook my head, regretting what I was about to do, then started to walk across the Wastelands towards the City.

_Alice_

Dan's home was a little bit larger than mine, but not by much; it had one extra room. He let me take that room, which I thanked him for. Dan didn't have to do this for me, but he was my friend and he wanted to. So who was I to argue with his hospitality?

I had none of my clothes or belongings. Just the clothes on my back. _At least I left the map with Shun._ Last thing I needed was it falling out of my pocket and Dan finding it. That would spell disaster for me and my grandfather. Considering he was still alive.

A sudden feeling of sadness overcame me when I thought about him. I couldn't help but feel that it was my fault that he was taken away, even if he was the one who had been planning an escape. If I had been there during the home check, then maybe I could have snuck him out through the fence and into the Wastelands. But it was too late to do any of that now.

Dan knocked on the door to my guest room. "Come in," I said while quickly wiping away the tears that had formed in my eyes. He stepped through the door, his eyes finding me sitting on the bed. "Hey, you doing better from earlier?" I felt embarrassed about how irrational and insane I must have been when Dan found me.

I nodded. "Yeah. A lot better." He leaned against the wall of the room and said calmly, "That's good to hear. I'm going to the Courtyard in a little bit to hang out with Runo and the others. You should go. I'm sure they'd all be happy to see that you're alright."

I hadn't really given any thought to how the others had been since I had started going through the fence. The last I had talked to them, it had been with Runo while I was hunting for my grandfather. That was when I learned of what happened during my absence, and I wished I hadn't.

"So, you wanna come along?" I thought for a moment and looked up at Dan. He had promised that none of the Officials were hunting for me, but then again, what did Dan know? "I guess I'll go. What can it hurt?" I put on a smile to try and convince him that I was okay with going into the open.

He bought it because he smiled back. "Awesome. We're leaving in about ten minutes." He left the room and shut the door behind him. It would be good to let the others know that I was okay, for the most part at least. They deserved some peace of mind, even if I was the one who really needed it.

Ten minutes went by quickly, and Dan and I were walking down the dirt road towards the Courtyard. Dan kept reassuring me that the Officials weren't after me, but I couldn't shake the feeling that their emotionless eyes were staring holes through me.

I walked on the right side of Dan so he would be between me and the Officials. If they were to come after me, they'd have to get around Dan first, which would give me somewhat of a chance. I saw the flickering flame of a fire up at the Courtyard.

As we got closer, I could hear the chattering and laughing of people. They were just people, trying to make the best out of life and all of the troubles that we were facing. Dan jogged up to the people and waved. "Hey, guys! Look who I found!"

I walked up behind him just in time for all eyes to fall of me. Julie, Runo, and Murucho's eyes widened and their mouths opened slightly. "Alice!" they squealed at the same time. _Please don't shout my name._ They ran from their seats and embraced me in a hug. I hugged them back. I didn't think that they would have missed me so much. Then again, my grandfather had been taken away the same day that I had 'disappeared' from the City.

They probably had thought that I was taken away as well. I smiled at them and said, "I missed you guys." They rambled on and on about how they missed me and how worried they had been. Then came the questions of where I had been. I bit the inside of my cheek as I tried to think of something to tell them.

Dan stepped in a saved me by saying, "Give her some space. If she wants to tell us, then she'll tell us." I looked at Dan and said to him silently, _"Thank you."_ He seemed to know that I was grateful for him stepping in because he nodded and gave me a small smile that nobody else noticed. We were now sitting around the fire that had been made.

It wasn't dark, but the sun was almost behind the horizon. It would be pitch black in a couple of hours, the only light being that from the flame in front of us. While we were talking away, somebody brought up the topic of the Outcasts. I felt myself tense up.

What were they going to say, and if they brought me into the conversation, then how much should I say? A girl sitting across from me, Cassidy, began to ramble. She was the daughter of a high-ranking government Official. Compared to the rest of us, she had it made.

Why she hung around us, was unknown to me. "Did you hear what the Officials decided to do?" We all exchanged looks. _Of course we don't know. Why would the Officials tell us what they're doing?_ We shook our heads in response to her question.

"Well, they came to an agreement on a way to get rid of a little….'Problem' if you want to call it that. They poisoned the water that those Outcasts use." She cringed when she said Outcasts. I felt my jaw go slack. I didn't know how to react. How many of the Outcasts had ingested the water and died so far?

Was Shun in those numbers? I couldn't stand up and say anything, or else I could blow my already thin cover. So, I sat back and tried to stay as quiet as I could. Dan raised an eyebrow and said, "Really? I guess that's an easier way to get rid of them than waiting for them to die on their own."

I stared at Dan with shock. How could he say something like that? Then, I reminded myself that he hadn't been out in the Wastelands and learning about the Outcasts like I had. I would have probably had the same outlook on them as he did. He was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "What?" I shook myself from my shocked state and let out a light, humorless laugh.

"Yeah. Good way to get rid of the filth." I hated myself for saying that. I wanted nothing more than to find a dark hole and hide in it. I didn't think of the Outcasts like that, especially Shun. But I had to act like I had never gone through that fence. If they discovered that I had any sympathy for the Outcasts, they would surely know something was up.

They laughed along with me, and added in a chorus of agreements. I doubted that I could stand to be friends with them for much longer. But it wasn't their fault that they didn't know the truth of what we beyond that fence. The laughter died down, and was replaced with an all too familiar voice that was shouting. I froze when I finally placed it. _Shun._

_Shun_

It's not an easy task to hide yourself in an open, barren landscape. I was wide open to be spotted by an Official who may look through the fence. I ran up to the wood board and barbed wire wrapped fence. All I could do was hope that I wouldn't be seen.

There had to be a gate around the fence somewhere. They had gotten out to poison our water somehow, which meant there was a door in the fence. It started to get darker and darker, and I knew that it would be difficult to find the gate once night fully cloaked the sky.

I walked around the fence, and saw orange and red dancing around. It was a fire. I crept my way towards it, wondering who was there. Sitting around the fire, was a group of about six or seven people around my age. But what caught my eye, was a certain girl with orange hair. _Alice!_

Relief flooded me to know that she was okay, that no Official had gotten to her and harmed her. But that relief slowly drained away when I started to listen in on their conversation. They were talking about Outcasts and laughing. I couldn't believe that Alice would be in the same group as them. She had to have some reason for sitting there and talking about us.

One of the girls mentioned something about the Officials poisoning our water. My eyes narrowed. _I knew it._ I quickly looked back to see Alice's expression. She knew nothing of this, so I was curious to know how she would react. When I looked over, her face went from kind of surprised to neutral.

When a brown haired boy asked her why she was staring at him, she laughed shortly and said, "Yeah. Good way to get rid of the filth." I felt my eyes widen, and I turned to face my back to the fence. Filth? Had she seen us like that the whole time she had been out in the Wastelands with us?

The whole time she had been around me? My hands tightened into fists at my sides. _Filth….That's all we are to them._ My jaw tightened, and I turned around to look back through the fence. I wanted to yell at them, to get their attention and let them know that I was there.

That I wasn't going to hide in the shadows while they talked about the Outcasts like that. I couldn't believe that Alice was letting them do that though. That's what really irked me. I was about to open my mouth, when a hand latched onto my right shoulder.

It was a tight grip that caused my knees to buckle from the pain. I cried out, and looked up to see an Official looking down at me. Behind him, were several more. The one who had a hold of my shoulder, was smirking down at me. Fear filled my mind and body, then they started to drag me into the City.

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><p>hello! sorry for not uploading for a couple of days. been busy trying to get everything back in order since i've been back from my band trip. announcements concerning the month of April. No uploads 12-14, a possible one on the 17, none on the 21, and a possible one on the 27. lots and lots of band events coming up. : well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	14. A Painful Lullaby

_Alice_

I was stunned when they brought Shun into the City. What was he doing when he got caught? I stood up, along with everyone else who was in my little group of people. Shun was shouting at the Officials to let him go, but they didn't seem to letting their grip loosen. I couldn't help but see images of Margret and my grandfather as they tried to restrain Shun.

There was an Official on each of his arms, their arms locked in his so he couldn't run off. One behind them had a pair of hand restraints that they were trying to get on him. He kept kicking his feet and flailing as best he could so they could not get the device around his wrists.

But all the resistance in the world was useless. They finally were able to get the restraints around his wrists. One of the Officials that had been holding him, threw him to the ground. He hissed, "We can make this a lot easier if you cooperate." Shun narrowed his eyes at the Official. They were filled with hate and anger. The Officials walked away from him, then began to calm the gathering crowd.

Our people always got worked up when somebody was being arrested by an Official. This wasn't anything new. I stared at Shun in pure shock. Every fiber of my being was screaming for me to help him, to break him free and run. But he was captured, and if I tried to help him now, I would be arrested as well. And what good would I be if I was in the same cell as him?

I hated the reality, but I had to stand by and not do anything. I would worry about helping Shun later. Right now wasn't a good time. _I hope he understands. I really do._ Why had he been near the City in the first place though? Didn't he know what a stupid move that was?

I had been telling him about all of the crap that had started in the City, yet he still got too close. Now, he was burned. Shun's eyes found me in the crowd. He seemed surprised at first, then they narrowed at me like they had done the Official.

His amber eyes were replaced with ones of betrayal and loathing. Why though? I couldn't run up there and help him. He had to know that much. I didn't know what to think of the emotions I saw in his eyes. It seemed like they were saying to me, _"I thought you cared."_

I imagined his voice saying those words, and I flinched at the harshness that came along with it. I took my gaze from Shun, and put it to the Official that was returning back to his prisoner. He strolled up to Shun, a confident step in his stride.

He bent over to meet eye level with the Outcast and said, "Now, are you going to make things easier and do as we tell you?" Shun's eyes held a cold, hatred glare at the man kneeling over him. Shun then spit at the Official. There was a chorus of gasps from the audience that had formed.

My own eyes had gotten wide. _Bad idea, Shun. Really bad idea._ The Official wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, then looked down at Shun. Instead of him yelling like I expected, he smiled and started to laugh. This confused even Shun, let alone the entire crowd of people watching.

Why was this Official laughing? We all knew of the temper they had, so this was seriously out of character for them. The Official snapped his fingers and walked over to the rest of his group. Shun stared at them. He was wondering what they were talking about just as much as I was.

They laughed once more, and the Official broke from his group and walked back over to Shun. Something was hidden behind his back, but the growing darkness made it difficult to see what the item was. A grin was still plastered on the Official's face. "So, you think you're something, don't ya? Well, it seems like we need to remind you of your place."

Shun raised an eyebrow. What was this Official going to do to him? Surely he wouldn't kill Shun in front of a crowd, would he? The Official turned from Shun to face the people that had gathered. He laughed and said, "What do you say? Should we remind him?"

There was a chorus of 'yeahs' from the crowd. I didn't say anything, but only continued to stare at Shun. If they were about to kill him, would I run up there to him and try and save him? Even if it meant that both of us would end up dead? The Official said back to them, "Alright."

Before I could even blink, he had turned around to revealed the item that he had hidden behind him. It was a shotgun. The barrel was pointed right at Shun. His eyes were wide and filled with fear. The color in his face drained away.

Guns hadn't been used or seen since the nuclear war, so we all thought that they were obsolete. But that didn't mean we didn't know what they were. The Official smiled down at Shun and said, "That shut you up, didn't it?" I saw Shun's frantic breathing move his shoulders.

He was scared. No, terrified. I would have been too. Any of us would have. Seeing an Official with a weapon was something alien and taboo to us. I hadn't doubted the idea that they were building weapons, but I never expected them to be used.

Shun's eyes were locked on the end of the gun, and it looked like they weren't going anywhere else. _Please don't shoot him. Please don't shoot him._ I kept begging silently in my mind. The gun-wielding Official laughed and lowered his weapon. "Are you going to cooperate with us now?"

Shun slowly nodded his head. He looked so defeated and weak. Almost like a scared child. Of course, I would have looked the same way if I gun had been pointed right at my head. The Official's smile vanished and his expression turned cold and emotionless. "Good," he said flatly.

He then turned the gun around and hit Shun in the head with the stock. I almost shouted something out, but quickly covered my mouth before anything could escape. A few people, including the Officials, turned around to see the source of the small sound that I had made.

They then turned their attention back to Shun, as did I. Shun's head was lowered, and I was unable to see his eyes or face due to his hair and the shadows. I saw a thin line of crimson liquid fall from the place that Shun had been struck. It fell to the ground and mixed with the dirt.

I felt tears forming in my eyes, but I blinked them away. _I can't show any sympathy. No caring. Not now. Not here._ "Go on and take him away. I'm sure he won't give us anymore trouble," said the Official that had hit Shun. His group nodded and followed his instructions.

They picked Shun up and made him stand on his feet. He wobbled for a moment, but quickly regained his balance. He was most likely dizzy from being struck in the head. The Officials carried him off down the road that housed the City's jail. I feared of what torment they would put him through.

It left a sick feeling in my stomach to think about it. Or maybe that feeling was from the fact that I stood by while they harmed him and dragged him to his death. I shook my head, ashamed in myself. _I'm sorry, Shun._ _But what good would it do if both of us were locked away?_

I turned around and ran through the crowd of people behind me. I could feel their questioning eyes and stares on me as I ran down the dirt road. But I also felt somebody else's eyes. _That Official's._ The one who had the gun. I didn't know how, but I could feel him staring at me. They knew. They knew, and I was sure they were after me next for sure.

_Shun_

I could hardly walk, but I was too afraid of what they would do to me if I stopped. That crazed Official had already hit me in the head with one end of the gun, and I wasn't too eager to meet the other end again. The side of my head throbbed with pain.

It felt like my head was about to explode from the agony brewing inside. My vision was blurred and doubled, and the world around me was rocking from side to side. It was a miracle if I didn't have some form of brain trauma. The Officials helped steady me every once in a while as they escorted me to the jail. When we finally got there, they opened a thick metal door and threw me inside.

With my hands tied, I was unable to break my fall. I landed on the hard ground, hitting my head again. I cringed from the new pain. I was able to sit up in time for them to close to door they had thrown me through. Sounds of locks turning filled the room as they made sure I had no way of getting out.

I looked around at my new 'accommodations' that I would be staying in until they figured out what to do with me. There were four walls that looked gray in color. They were rock solid with no hope of ever falling down. Spider webs and dust floated through the air like spirits of the people who had once been in this cell and died.

At the top of one of the walls, was a small square-shaped hole cut into the rock. It was closed off by four or five metal bars. Even if I was able to reach up there, I would be unable to take any of the bars out to escape. Under the window, was a concrete block on the floor.

It was most likely a bed or bench for the prisoners to use. That was all that was in the cell. I struggled to get myself up to my feet. It wasn't easy with my hands being useless. I walked over to the concrete block and laid down. It wasn't smooth, but rocky and jagged like the stone walls of my cell.

The only thing that was nice about it, was how cool it was. The cool rock felt good on my aching body. I sighed, feeling tired but not quite enough to fall asleep. An image of Alice appeared in my mind. _The way she just stood there and watched…..She didn't do anything to try and stop them. To try and help me._

I didn't know if I was angry or disappointed. My head was so mixed up at the moment, it was a miracle that I knew the difference between up and down. I thought back to the conversation she was having with the people around the fire. How she had called the Outcasts filth.

How she thought the poisoned water was a good means to eradicate us from the planet. Had I really been wrong about here this entire time? Had I been wrong to trust her and allow her into the closed off and guarded reality that belonged to me and the other Outcasts?

Had she ever really been different? At that moment, I wished my hands weren't tied so I could let my anger out by punching the rock walls. I growled in aggravation at my own stupidity for being an idiot. All my life I had made sure to never allow somebody from the City get close to me. _Looks like I failed in that department._

I kicked the rocky wall behind me. The sound echoed around the cell. "Let me out of this damn place!" I shouted. Who I was shouting at, I had no clue. I just needed to. "Let me out!" There was a loud knock on the door of my cell. "Shut up in there!" I didn't have a clue that an Official was outside, but it made sense that there was a guard standing by.

He then mumbled something like, "I'm going to be happy when all of you are dead." I didn't say anything else. That Official's comment was enough to shut me up. It just proved that I was as good as dead, along with the others out in the Wastelands.

The poisoning of our water could only be the start of the extermination that the City was planning. Nobody back in my home knew about it either. They were out there, defenseless and unaware of the danger they were in. A tear rolled down my bloodstained cheek.

I just wanted to fall asleep. Forget the day and everything I heard and that happened to me. My wish came true when I finally fell asleep. I wasn't sure if it was from how tired I was, or the possible concussion I had. But even in my sleep, I wasn't free.

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><p>i feel like i'm back in the game now :3 yay for me! ^^ speaking of games...i might be going to see The Hunger Games movie tonight! woo! -does troll face- i hated that i couldnt see it when it came out since i was in Disney. : but now i can ^^ well, i hope it's as awesome as the books. :p read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	15. Tell Me

_Alice_

Out of habit, I ran back to my old home. The door was still unlocked, and nothing else had been disturbed. An empty feeling hung in the air when I had to remind myself that my grandfather wasn't there anymore. It was only me. Coming back to my home, might not have been a smart idea. This would be one of the places the Officials would think to look first, but I felt like I needed to comfort that it provided me.

The safe feeling of an earlier time when I didn't have to worry about anything other than keeping enough food on the table. My eyes drifted down to the fake board in the floor. I knew its contents were empty, but I still wondered if anything else had miraculously appeared inside.

I shook my head. _Stop being stupid, Alice._ I sat down at the table in the kitchen, and buried my face into my hands. What was I going to do now? It was only a matter of time before I would be arrested by the Officials. How was I to help Shun in an allotted amount of time?

How was I even going to help him? I let out a shaky sigh. I had no plan. No idea. No nothing. I grew angry at myself for being so clueless, and slammed my hand down on the kitchen table. Shun's expression of betrayal and hate, hung in the back of my mind, occasionally resurfacing so I could push it back down.

I knew it wasn't right to neglect the trouble he was in, but I had too much on my plate as it was. A knock came from the door. I froze, expecting an army of Officials to come barging in. But instead, I heard a friendly voice from the other side. "Alice, are you in there? It's Runo. Let me in."

I wondered if the Officials were using her as a lure for me. It seemed like something they would do. I cautiously approached the door, pressing my ear against the wood to see if I could hear anyone else other than Runo. There was no other sounds.

The one thing I heard, was her distinctive breathing that meant she had been running. Most likely to catch up with me after I fled the scene at the Courtyard. I opened the door just enough to see outside with me eye. She was, in fact, all by herself.

Not even Dan or one of the others followed her. If they had, then they hadn't caught up with her yet. I opened the door the rest of the way, and saw the concern in her eyes. She let out a sigh and said, "Thank heavens I found you. I was worried I would have to look all over the City for you."

She stepped through the door and into the house. I shut the door behind her, making sure to lock it. She turned around and asked me, "Why did you run off back there?" I knew my actions wouldn't go unquestioned. "Uh.." I was at a loss for words and explanations. My bucket of lies was completely empty.

Nothing left. Drained dry with only silence in the bottom. Runo sensed my struggle to answer her and said, "Was it because of your grandfather?" To be honest, my grandfather hadn't crossed my mind during that time. I was too focused on Shun getting beaten down like a dog.

I shook my head. "No. It wasn't cause of my Grandfather." Runo tilted her head to the side. "Then why did you freak out? A lot of people are starting to come up with theories, and they aren't good ones, Alice." I clenched my hands into fists and snapped, "Let them say what they want!"

Runo flinched when I shouted. She, nor had anyone else, seen me lose my temper before. "Alice…" I bit my lower lip and sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just….I let somebody down and I'm mad at myself and confused on what to do next," I said softly.

Runo had always been there for me. Could I trust her to hold onto my dark secret, and not turn me over to the hands of the Officials? She placed her hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "How did you let somebody down? You're one of the most loyal and trustworthy people I know, and I have no clue how you could disappoint anybody."

When she called me loyal and trustworthy, I cringed on the inside. I was neither of those things when I stood by and let them hurt Shun. "I didn't help somebody when they needed it the most. And now, they're probably paying for it."

I started to imagine the horrible things they would do to Shun before they killed him. They were horrible thoughts, but they were probably true. They could have been happening now while I talked with Runo. Precious time I could spend trying to find a way to help him, wasted.

Runo asked me, "Who was it?" My legs felt weak and tired, so I sat back down at the kitchen table, running my hands through my hair. "If I tell you….You have to promise to keep it a secret." Runo looked at me quizzically before saying, "I won't tell anyone unless you say otherwise."

Runo's vow felt true and honest, a sign that I had chosen the right person to reside in. "That Outcast that the Officials capture earlier. It was him." Runo's eyes were wide with shock, her mouth was slightly gaped open. "Please, you can't tell anyone. The Officials are already after me as it is, I don't need it made any worse." My friend shook herself out of her shock induced trance.

"You….Know that Outcast?" This was a lot for her to take in, so I wasn't going to neglect her from any information. Somebody else needed to know about the Outcasts and what they were going through. Maybe Runo's views on them would be turned around like mine were.

Maybe she could convince Dan and the others to change their thoughts as well. And so forth. "I don't just know him. I've helped him before. Been out in the Wastelands and spoken with all of the Outcasts. I've got enough stack on top of me, that the Officials have every right to kill me the moment they see me."

Runo kept staring at me, then sat down at the kitchen table across from me. "You've been in the Wastelands too?" I nodded my head. She wasn't freaking out and calling me a traitor like I thought she would have. Runo was actually taking it very well. She asked me, "What's it like out there?"

It was then that I realized, that everyone had wondered what was beyond our fence. I wasn't the only one who had dreamed about the land on the other side. "There isn't much out there. Almost everything is dead, but the Outcasts manage to survive."

I sat there for a while telling her everything from when Shun stole the food from the market, to what happened earlier in the night. She looked amazed that all of this had happened, and I yet to be captured. "Yeah, but they're after me now. I know it. They're just waiting for the right time," I told her.

I reached over the table and placed my hand on her arm. I changed my demeanor to a more serious state. "Something's going to happen soon. Something bad." She stared at me, confused at the riddles I was speaking to her. "What?"

I looked down at the wooded floor and said, "You remember why the Officials took away my Grandfather?" She nodded. "Yeah, something about him planning an escape and helping the Outcasts. Honestly, I didn't believe that he would do something like that."

I bit the inside of my cheek and told her, "Well, they weren't lying when they placed those charges on him. They just never found the evidence to prove it. But I did." I got up from the table and showed her the hidden compartment in the floor. "There was a map and instructions in that metal box. They gave directions to escape from the City and go to the other side of these mountains in the Wastelands."

Runo got up from the table as well, and picked up the metal box in the floor. She opened it, staring at its emptiness. "Where is the map now?" I took the box from her and placed it back in its place, then put the board back on top of it. "The map and instructions are out in the Wastelands so they wouldn't be found by the Officials."

I looked up at Runo, who was looking back at me. I said flatly, "My Grandfather knew something bad was going to happen. Something bad enough that he planned an escape for it. And with all of the stuff going on now, I'm pretty sure he was right about it."

Runo's shoulders were hunched over as we sat on the wood floor. "So, what do we do about it then?" she asked quietly, as if somebody might here us. Runo would probably be as paranoid I was. I told her, "Well, first we need to get the map out of the Wastelands so we can follow it. Then, we have to get together the people who will follow us."

Runo seemed to understand the steps we needed to take. A lot of people probably wouldn't run away with us. Mainly out of fear that the Officials would arrest them for going against their laws. _They have to understand what's at risk though._

Runo stared down at the floor as she thought about something. She then asked, "Where in the Wastelands is the map?" I had to rethink back to when I brought it out there. "The last person I gave it to was…..Shun."

_Alice_

Runo and I stared at one another for a moment. If Shun still had that map and an Official found it on him, then the torment he would face would be excruciating. They would make his life a living hell until the Officials got bored, or Shun died. I stood up from the floor and told Runo, "I have to find him."

She quickly stood up and grabbed my wrist. "Alice, slow down and think this through for a moment. You don't know for sure if he has that map. He could have left it out in the Wastelands." She was right. Shun could have left it out there with Christina, but I didn't feel like taking a chance of his death getting sped up.

"It's not just the map. I need to talk with him. I need to try and let him know that I wanted to help him, but couldn't. If I can't find a way to break him out before the Officials do anything to him, I at least want him to know the truth." I pulled my wrist from her hand and started towards the door.

I told her, "I'm pretty sure the Officials are going to search this house for me, so I'd suggest not staying in here for too long. There's no telling what they'd do to you if they thought you had information, which you do now." Runo nodded and followed me outside of the house.

We looked around for any Officials standing by the fence. There were none. I had a feeling they were all looking for me. Runo stopped me before I darted off. "Alice, watch yourself out there." I smiled and said, "I always do." We both smiled, and I ran from the house.

I wasn't brave enough to take a chance and run along the dirt road, so I stayed out of sight by running through the houses that made up the area that I lived in. The sky was pitch black, and showed no sign of dawn coming anytime soon. I kept on running, too afraid to stop just yet.

I slowed at a building, and peered from around its corner. Across the street, was the jail that the Officials took Shun to. Now, I just had to find the cell he was in, which wouldn't be too hard if I looked in the windows that lined the ground. I only had to watch out for the occasional Official that may have been walking the perimeter. I took a deep breath as I readied myself, and darted across the road.

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><p>aye. it had been one lazy day for me. :p but im not complaining. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	16. Lightning Strike

_Alice_

I stayed as low and as out of sight as I could. From what I could tell, there weren't any Officials standing guard, but I wasn't taking any chances. I made it across the street in one piece, and started to peer into the barred windows near the ground. It seemed like the same amount of people were in the cells from when I went looking for my grandfather and found Margret.

I rounded another corner of the jail, wondering if I'd finally find Shun in one of them. I started to worry that they might have already done away with him. _No, I can't start thinking like that._ I was closing in on the cell I saw Margret in. Images of her battered and bloodied body filled my mind. _That's what they'll do to Shun if I don't hurry up and find him._ I looked in the cell that once belonged to Margret.

I didn't expect to find her inhabiting it anymore, but I was surprised when I saw who had taken her place. Laying on a block of concrete below the window, was Shun. I knelt down on the ground, and pressed my face against the metal bars. One bar hit on each of my cheekbones. I held onto the bars with my hands and looked down at Shun. He was sleeping on the block, his hands still tied behind him.

With the little bit of light I had, I could see the dried blood on his face from where the Official struck him with the end of the shotgun. My heart and stomach dropped when I relived that moment. Along his exposed arms, I could see fresh bruises and scratches that he had obtained.

Those injuries would be nothing compared to what was to come. Shun's black hair covered most of his face, hiding any other wounds that may have been inflicted after his captured. I was sure there would be a gash from the shotgun's stock. "Shun," I said under my breath, being careful to keep my voice low so nobody else would hear me.

He stirred for a moment, but didn't wake. "Shun," I said again, raising my voice slightly. This time, his eyes opened and he raised his head to look around the cell. "Up here." He turned to face up at the window that I was looking down from. His glazed over expression, turned cold.

"Why are you here?" His voice was sharp and piercing. _He probably hates me._ I had been right about the wound on his head. Running along the side of his temple, was a gash surrounded by dried blood. _That Official hit him hard._ Shun's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Are you going to answer me, or just stare?" What was I going to tell him? I knew why I had come to the jail. I needed to talk with him and set things straight between us. I had to tell him why I didn't help him. Just in case I didn't get the chance to break him out of the cell.

The last thing I wanted, was him to hate me till his last breath. "I came to talk." He let out a short laugh, and sat up. "That's funny. No, it really is. You had all the time to talk when they were putting a gun to my head." His eyes narrowed at me, and his voice turned ice cold. _Yup. He hates me._

I leaned my forehead against the cool metal bars and sighed. "Please, let me explain." He kept a steady glare on me. "What's there to explain?" I rolled my eyes and let out an aggravated breath of air. "If you'd give me five minutes to talk, I'd be more than happy to."

If he was going to be this way, then I had no other choice than to return the favor. "Fine. Say what you've got to say. But don't expect me to believe all of it." I cringed at his words. It was clear that no matter how much truth I put into my words, he probably wasn't going to buy a single one of them.

"I didn't want to stand there and watch them take you away, but you have to understand that I didn't have much choice." Shun raised an eyebrow at me. He didn't say anything though. The silence he gave me meant that he didn't care to hear what I had to say.

In his mind, I was the reason he was locked up in that cell. And it was true. I was the reason this was happening. I could have done something to try and stop it, but it would have just ended badly for both of us. "If I had said or done anything back there, the Officials would have taken us both away."

We stared at each other for a moment before he broke the silence. He said coldly, "Just like somebody from this hellhole to worry about themselves." I flinched back at the tone he had. How much did he really hate me? "Shun, if I was captured as well, then there would be nobody who would bother to try and get you out of here like I am."

He turned around, facing his back towards me. "Why would you even want to help out filth like me?" I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about?" He turned his head around so that half of his face was visible to me.

"You know what I'm talking about. I heard what you said before I was caught. You were sitting around that fire and when they brought up the topic about the poisoned water, you mentioned how it was a good way to…How did you put it? Get rid of the filth?" I stared down at him, complete shock had to have been slapped on my face. "I didn't know you were out there when I said that."

He shook his head and said, "Apparently. If you had, then maybe you would have kept up the act that you cared." I kept feeling my heart sink deeper and deeper. This conversation wasn't going how I had planned it. I had pictured it going much smoother. But this was as rocky as the walls of the jail.

"My caring wasn't an act. If I didn't care, then why had I snuck out in the Wastelands all of those times? Why would I have even given you those pills if I didn't care? I said that because I had just found out about the poisoned water and didn't know what to think. And when I was put on the spot, I had to come up with something or ruin my cover."

Shun remained silent. Maybe I had finally gotten through to him. I took this moment and continued to talk to him. "I didn't want to say what I said, but I had no choice. Shun, I do care. I care about you, Christina, Sarah, and all of the other Outcasts."

I thought I saw his muscles tense up, but I played it off as a trick of my stressed mind. Did he believe me now? Had I gotten back his trust? He glanced back at me with one of his amber eyes and said, "As if it really matters now whether you care or not. It's clear to see that I'm as good as dead. Along with the other Outcasts. You caring isn't going to change that. So, it'd be best for you if you get out of here before somebody sees you."

I blinked slowly, not really believing what he was saying. I couldn't tell if he believed me or not. I had no other words to say to him. At least, none that I could think of. "If that's how you feel, then fine. I just have one quick question. Where's that map that I left with you in the Wastelands?"

He looked back up at me, and I could have sworn that his eyes showed a faint sign of tears. "It's still in my pocket." I had to get that map away from him. He was already in enough trouble as it was. I held my hand out through the metal bars and said, "I need it back. If those Officials find it on you, then things will be much worse for you. And I don't want that."

He fumbled with his hands behind his back and said, "I'd love to, but my hands are tied." I sighed in aggravation. He had no way of getting to that map, and I had no way I getting to it either. I was about to say something, but was cut off by a sound to my right.

I shot upright, and looked down the street. From the light of an oil lamp, I saw the silhouettes of people walking my way. By the way their shadows walked, they had to be Officials. I started to panic, and looked back down at Shun and said, "Officials are coming. I have to go."

He had gone back to laying down on the slab of rock, not saying anything else. I hated to know that he was still that angry at me, and that he had already given up so easily. "Shun, I'm going to try and get you out of here as soon as I can….And if I don't…..Then, I'm sorry. I really am."

I stood up and took off down the road before the Officials could round the corner. I was going to do everything I could to keep the promise I had just made to him, and I already had a plan on how to do it.

_Shun_

One big misunderstanding. That was all it was. But even now that a supposed truth had been revealed, it didn't feel like enough to calm down the emotions inside of me. There was still anger at what Alice had done, despite it being in the best interests for both of us.

But overall, I didn't know what I was feeling. My body felt like an empty shell, tired and worn out from life itself. I rolled over on my side, wishing that my hands had been tied in front of me so I could lay on my back. I looked up at the metal bar window, expecting to see Alice still up there.

But of course, she wasn't. She had gotten out of the area before Officials could see here. No matter how angry I might have still been at her, I didn't want anything to happen to her. Just like she didn't want anything happening to me. The only difference was, something already had.

She at least still had a chance to make it out of here. I shut my eyes, taking in the darkness so I wouldn't have to stare at the stone walls of my cell anymore. I didn't want this place to be the last thing that I remembered before all hell broke loose.

I was just about to fall asleep again, when a loud noise reverberated throughout the jail. The sound bounced off of the rock walls of my cell, and even echoed further down the jail. I sat up, looking around at nothing as I waited for something to happen next.

A voice yelled, "Where is he! Which cell is he in!" I pressed my back against the wall, getting a sick feeling that I was the person that this guy was looking for. "He's down there," somebody's shaky voice replied. Footsteps stomped down the hall of cells, and the iron door of mine flew open.

_Alice_

My plan was simple. Get Runo, since she was the only other person who knew about my secrets, and stage a disturbance so the Officials would have no choice but to leave the jail and come check it out. When that was done, I would sneak in and break Shun out. Easy right?

I thought it was at first, but that was before I walked by the Courtyard. Dan, Murucho, Julie, and a whole lot of other people were standing around. My three friends were clustered together when I ran up to them. "What's going on?" I asked, then froze when I saw who they were standing over.

Julie was knelt down beside a beaten Runo. I felt my eyes grow wide. "Oh my gosh. What happened?" I knelt down by the two of them, looking over the wounds on Runo. She was bruised and cut up much worse that Shun had been when I talked with him.

Murucho was standing next to me and said, "We heard shouting and came to see what was going on and saw a bunch of Officials ganging up on her." My stomach dropped when he said that the Officials had done this. Then again, who else did I expect it to be?

I asked them, "Do you know why they attacked her?" The three of them shook their heads. I turned back to Runo and took her hand in mine. "Runo, can you hear me? Wake up?" The unconscious bluenette stirred, then opened her eyes to face me.

She said weakly, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Alice." She was struggling to stay awake, but I had to make sure she didn't go out until I knew what exactly happened. I looked up at the others and said, "Can I have a moment to talk with Runo real quick?"

They exchanged a look, then walked across the street. I made sure nobody else was within earshot of me. "Runo, what happened? Do you remember?" She nodded slowly. "I was walking back home after talking to you, when several Officials came out of nowhere. I tried to act natural, but they pinned me down and kept saying how they saw me talking with you and wanted me to tell them what I knew."

I didn't think my stomach could have dropped anymore, but it did. I quickly asked, "What did you tell them?" Fear swept over me. Had she broken down and told them everything? If she had, then me and Shun were in serious trouble. Runo cleared her throat and continued.

"I didn't mention your name. But I told them everything else. Even about the map. I'm sorry, Alice. I'm so, so sorry." I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around my hurt friend. "No, I am. I shouldn't have brought you into this. None of this would have happened if I never told you anything. I'm the one who's sorry, Runo."

I leaned her back against the wall, and wiped a tear from my cheek. It was then that I thought of something. "Runo, where did they go after you told them everything?" She tried to sit up, but didn't have it in her. Instead, she lifted up her hand and pointed down the road that led to the jail.

"They went back that way." My eyes grew wide when I realized why they had gone that way, instead of after me. They were going after Shun to get that map. Without saying anything to Runo, I scrambled up and ran in the direction she had pointed.

Behind me, I heard Dan and the others calling out my name. Their voices dissipated the further I got from them. My original plan was worthless now. All I had was a short amount of time to think this through. But all I could think of was, _I've got to help Shun._

* * *

><p>eek! super bad weather at my house! i mean, lightning struck right next to my house. thus, giving me a spark of inspiration. :p lol (at least i didnt get zapped) whew. thank heavens. i dont wanna be crispy. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	17. Safe House

_Alice_

I rushed through the front entrance of the jail, and immediately heard the sounds of yelling further down. Luckily, I was not confronted by Officials. _Is that good or bad?_ Possibly a combination of the two. A door slammed down the hallway of cells, and a group of Officials stepped out from one. Quickly, I found myself a hiding place underneath a table.

I inched back as far as I could, shielding myself with as much shadow as I could. They walked by me, not even glancing under the table. From behind, I only caught a quick glimpse of their faces. They wore crooked smiles that could only compare to that of a snake's. I knew they had to have been back there with Shun. So, what did they do to him? I didn't want to think about what atrocities they could have done in a matter of minutes.

There was no chance that I was about to run down that open hallway. It ran too much of a risk of being seen. Right now, the best thing I could do was sneak Shun out of there as quietly as possible. I needed a distraction though. One that was enough to keep the Officials occupied until I made sure that Shun and I were a safe distance from them.

A commotion started up outside; it sounded like people were starting to panic. Our easily disturbed people would freak out all the time if the Officials didn't reassure them after something happened. It occurred to me that the Officials never calmed down the crowd after attacking Runo.

So of course they were freaking out. Those people had just watched a teenage girl get beaten by the Officials, and they had no explanation. The Officials that had walked by my table, looked at one another and ran from the jail to calm the crowd outside. _Thank goodness._

I didn't have much time to work, so every second was a precious one. Scrambling out from under the table, I ran down the hallway and counted the cells till I found Shun's. Thanks to the window outside, I remembered which one he was in.

There was a lock on the door, just like the rest of them. I pulled at it, seeing if the rusted gears inside would give in. They didn't budge. A key would be the only thing that would work on it unless I found something that was strong enough to cut through the lock.

Where would the Officials keep the key? Nobody in the City had the guts to break somebody out of the jail, so they had no reason to keep them on their person. My eyes started to scan every inch of the jail, and they finally stopped at a hook that was hanging on the wall.

The small hook held the keys needed for the locks. I ran down the hall, snatched them up, and returned back to the cell that contained Shun. My shaking hands found it difficult to get the key into the lock, but I finally managed and twisted the key.

The lock flipped open, and I threw it from the door and down to the ground. I strained to pull the heavy metal door open, wondering how the Officials did it on a daily basis. When I finally got it open, I felt the color drain from me. Shun was laying on the ground, an unconscious and bloody mess.

He had to have been worse than Runo was. I ran into the cell and knelt beside him. There was no time to look his wounds over. I would have to do that later. Since his hands were still tied with the restraints, I had trouble getting him up.

He didn't weight all that much, but he still was a lot for me to pick up. I finally got him to his feet, but I was holding him up. Already, I could hear the returning Officials. _I'm running out of time. I need to hurry._ I was pretty much dragging Shun out of his cell.

I stood in the hallway, looking back and forth. It was too risky to go back out of the main entrance. Did the jail have a back door? Surely it did. I carried Shun further down the hallway, praying that the Officials would remained held up for just a little bit longer.

I rounded a corner, and it was almost like a miracle. There at the end of the hall, was another door. I could just see the heavenly light shimmering behind it. Without hesitation, I leaned Shun against the base of the wall, and pried the rusted door open.

It revealed the back alleys of the City, which would turn into a perfect cover for the two of us. I picked him back up, and crossed the threshold of the door, making double sure that I closed it behind me. Now, we were out of the jail, but there was still the risk of being spotting if we weren't careful.

I had no clue where I was going to go. The fence was closed off, so there was no option of going back to the Wastelands. My house was too obvious. I then thought about the house that the elderly couple lived in. That would be a perfect place, but there was just the issue of them turning me in.

But they were close friends of my grandfather. So why wouldn't they give me shelter from people who were trying to cause me harm? Maybe they had even helped with the creation of the map. I remembered the way to the upper class portion of the City.

It was nothing more than a few rights and lefts through the alleyways, and there they were. Shun groaned by my side. The pain he was in had to be horrible. _At least he's unconscious. It might not be that bad if he stays out cold._ I started towards the upper class part of the City, when something sent an odd feeling up my back.

I turned around and saw the metal door starting to open. With its movement, came voices on the other side. Adrenaline kicked in, and I tried to run to my best extent while still holding onto Shun. I took random turns through the alleys in order to lose the Officials behind us, and ended up in an open street, where I had run into Dan and the others.

Julie was holding up Runo on her arm, and Murucho was also helping by balancing her on the other side. _This is good. This is really good._ I came up to Dan and said pleadingly, "Please, help me, Dan. Quickly." I couldn't support Shun's weight any longer, and leaned him against Dan.

The brunette quickly caught the unconscious Outcast. He looked at him for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Alice, is this that Outcast from earlier?" I was bent over and trying to catch my breath. "Yeah," I said while wiping sweat from my forehead. He looked at me, his eyes even wider.

"Have you lost your mind! You got him out of jail! Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" He kept looking down at Shun, not sure whether to let him drop to the ground, or to continue to hold him up. "Trust me, I'm in a lot more trouble than you think. But please, Dan. Help me get him to somewhere safe. The Officials are right behind us. They'll probably be here any minute," I said desperately.

He could call me crazy all he wanted to later, but right now, Shun was the top priority. That, and keeping the two of us hidden until we could plot our next move. Dan was looking at the others, as if waiting for their response. Runo looked up at him, her cheeks blue from bruises.

She said, "Dan, just help her. Right now, it's the right thing to do." Dan was never one to argue with Runo's judgment, so he sighed and rearranged his hold on Shun. "Fine. Do you have any idea of where to go?" I pointed up the street and said, "The upper class part of the City. My Grandfather knew some people up there. I think they might help us."

Dan nodded, and our group started up the road. Runo was getting to where she could walk on her own, but only for a short distance. Shun on the other hand, was still out of it. How badly did they injure him? Not enough to kill him, apparently.

They were planning on doing that later on. Murucho, who was still helping to steady Runo, kept on asking me questions. "Alice, can you please tell us what's going on?" I kept looking at the houses, making sure we didn't pass our destination. "I'll inform you all when we get to where we are going."

The short blonde nodded his head and remained silent the rest of the walk. Shun then began to cough. Dan stopped walking just in time for Shun to cough up his own blood, then go limp again. The brunette looked at me and asked unenthusiastically, "Are you sure it's still worth carrying him around?"

I glared at Dan. How dare he suggest that Shun was a lost cause that wasn't worth saving? If I had that mindset when I first helped him, then Shun wouldn't be alive right now. Or at least, almost alive. When I thought about, most of the events happening at the moment, wouldn't be happening either.

It was amazing how far and long this chain reaction had gone. I said briskly, "I promised to help him, and I'm going to keep it until the end. So, yes. He is still worth carrying around." Dan rolled his eyes. This wasn't fun for him.

He clearly hated the Outcasts almost as much as the Officials did. The only reason he was helping Shun, was because of me. The elderly couple's home came into my sight, and we hurried towards it as quickly as we could.

_Alice_

I jogged up the steps of their home, while Dan and the others stayed behind. I was now standing in front of the door, and took in a deep breath. This was the only place I could think of. What would happen if they didn't want to help us? Where would we go from there? _There are only so many safe places…._

"Go on, Alice. Knock on the door before somebody sees us," said Dan from behind me. I slowly raised my hand, then tapped on the wooden door with the back of my hand. We waited for a moment, then the door opened. The old man of the house was standing there, his wife was visible from behind him.

His mouth turned up into a smile. "Alice, we weren't expecting to see you. What brings you-" He stopped talking, and his eyes fixed at something behind me. I turned around and followed his gaze. He was looking at Shun, and I immediately began to worry that he was about to tell us to leave.

"Please, let us stay. It's the only safe place I could think of." He nodded, not taking his eyes from Shun's unconscious body. "Come on in. Quickly now." We all hurried through the door. I made sure to thank the old man several times before he finally made me stop.

The elderly man turned to his wife and said, "He needs a place to lay down." His finger was pointing to Shun, who was still being held up by Shun. His wife hurried over to him and had Dan help escort him to one of the rooms in their home.

The old man was going around his house, closing curtains and locking doors. Dan came walking back into the living room with the rest of us. Blood was splotched on his clothes, and I looked down and saw that mine were the same way. I sat down at the table in the kitchen.

I thought I would have been relieved that we finally made it to their home, but I still felt nervous and on edge. It was to be expected though. I started to count up everything that I had done that had now managed to get me chased by the Officials.

Going through the fence, talking to an Outcast, helping an Outcast, having illegal information, sharing illegal information, breaking an Outcast out of jail, and now harboring an Outcast. I laid my head down on the table and let out a heavy sigh. "What else can I manage to do?" I asked myself. I felt a light hand on my back, and raised my head up to see the old woman sitting next to me.

How long had she been there? "How have you been since you're grandfather was taken away?" she asked in a caring tone. I didn't think that people from the upper classes even cared about who was arrested, much less knew about it. Then again, these people were close to my grandfather.

I put on a smile and said, "I've been managing. Things don't seem to be getting better though." The old woman smiled back and nodded. "I know. I'm sure it will all blow over though." She patted my back and left the kitchen. I sighed and got up from the table, then made my way towards the room that I saw Dan and the old woman take Shun into.

He was laying on a bed that was a lot nicer than the one at my home. It looked like the woman had cleaned up the wounds on him. I sat down on the side of the bed next to him. It took a lot for me to not start blaming myself. If I hadn't gotten him out of that jail, there was no telling what kind of madness they were planning to do to him.

I brushed the black strands of hair away from his eyes, revealing his face to me. The gash along his temple was starting to heal up, but it still looked painful. He didn't move a muscle when I touched his hair, or even when I had sat down next to him.

I leaned over and whispered softly, "I told you I'd keep my promise." Then, I even surprised myself when I bent over and placed my lips on his. When I leaned back, I repeated my last words. "I told you I would keep it, and I did."

* * *

><p>gah. this bad weather needs to stop! i dont wanna get zapped! -hides under table- o.o while i hide for my life, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	18. Renegade

_Shun_

When I woke, I expected to find myself still locked away in that jail cell. To much of my surprise, I found myself laid up in a bed and surrounded by walls that weren't made of rocks and stone. I brought my hand up to my pounding head. It felt like the pain had gotten worse than before.

When it subsided, I looked around the rest of the room. Furniture and pictures that were hung on the wall filled the room. My eyes stopped when I found Alice sitting in one of the chairs. I blinked a couple of times. What was going on? I looked down at myself, and was shocked by the state of my body. It looked as if I had been attacked. Then I remembered, I was attacked.

Memories of the Officials busting into my cell replayed in my mind. The aching wounds on my body cringed as they relived every hit and strike. In the chair next to the bed, Alice began to wake up. She looked around, sleep still weighing her eyes down. "Huh?"

She finally noticed that I was awake, and her eyes turned from half-open, to fully alert. "Shun!" Alice shot up from her chair and was now standing beside the bed that I was laying in. Still holding onto the side of my head, I asked, "Where am I?" I kept looking around the room, seeing how much cleaner and nicer it was than the ones we had back in the Wastelands.

"You're at a friend of my Grandfather's. But that's not important. What is important, is the fact that you finally woke up." I found a window and stared out of it from my bed. The sun was trying send its light through the closed curtains. "How long have I been out?" I asked, wondering how concerned I should be about my current state.

"Not that long. Since late last night. It's around noon right now," she replied. I shifted around on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. That was how I discovered how stiff my muscles were. I gave up on moving and decided to ask, "How exactly did I get here?"

Alice looked at me as if I had asked a stupid question. "What? Last I remember I was left beaten in a jail," I said sharply. She finally saw that my question had been a serious one, and sighed. "I took advantage of a the chaos going around and broke you out. That's when I ran into my friends and they helped me carry you here."

I was surprised that her friends, people from the City, even bothered to help me. I would have thought they would have left both me and Alice for the Officials to catch. Then I remembered what Alice had said to me before all of the hell got worse. She had made a point to say that she was going to get me out of that jail, and she did.

Here I was, laying in a bed away from the Officials, for the time being. "Thanks," I told her under my breath. She looked at me, her eyebrows raised in a questioning look. "Huh?" I sighed and repeated, "I said thanks. For getting me out of that jail like you said you would. I guess I owe you a major apology for accusing you of all of that stuff."

She smiled down at me. It showed me how tired she was. I was surprised that she could even find the energy to stand. "You don't have to apologize. It was all just a big misunderstanding. A failure to communicate," she said in her singsong voice. Alice then sat down on the edge of the bed and said, "If anything, I should be apologizing to you."

I stared at her, not knowing what she was talking about. "You? Apologize to me? For what? You haven't done anything wrong. Hell, you just got me out of a prison. Whatever you think you did, I believe that made up for it." She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"No. You wouldn't have been attack so soon if I hadn't told Runo everything. She wouldn't have been hurt either. If I had just kept my mouth shut, then neither one of you would be hurt right now." Whoever this Runo was, I felt sorry for the girl if she was in as much pain as I was.

Alice stared down at the floor, occasionally letting out a heavy sigh. "Alice, but if you didn't tell her and if all of that didn't happen, then I would probably still be in that jail waiting for those Officials to decide on what to do next. Yeah, some people might have gotten caught in the crossfire, but you have to try and look on the positive side of things. Everything bad that happened isn't your fault."

She rubbed her eyes, either to wipe away the remainder of her sleep or to get rid of a tear. I couldn't tell which from behind her. My eyes found a painting on the wall. It depicted a lush green meadow, much like the one that I used to have dreams about when I was young.

For some reason, it made me think of the map that was in my pocket. I shot upright in the bed, and immediately regretted it. My battered body screamed in pain, causing me to fall back against the pillow. Alice was standing up now, looked panic-stricken at the fact that I was gritting my teeth in pain.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing. I just did something really stupid," I said through gritted teeth. I waited a moment for the pain to ease up. It did a little bit, enough that I wasn't borderline screaming. I took a slow breath and told her, "Those Officials got the map from me. That's why they beat me earlier. I just remembered it."

The last of the pain left my body, and left the initial aches behind. That was something I could tolerate, but not that other pain. Alice made sure that I was ok before sitting back down. "I expected them to do that. I just didn't think they'd go to those kind of extremes to get it."

She was looking at the gashes on my arms when she said that. I found myself looking at them as well. There would definitely be scars once the wounds healed. Proof of the pathetic fight I put up against the people I hated the most. I was sure I could have done better if my hands weren't tied behind me. But I doubted I would have been strong enough to last very long.

That reminded me that when I was in jail, my hands were still bound together. I looked at my wrists, and saw the red line from where they used to be. Alice said, "We were able to cut the restraints off, but it wasn't easy." I rubbed my wrists. The raw skin burned when I touched it, so I stopped so I wouldn't make it any worse.

"You know, I was really worried that the Officials had done enough damage on you that you wouldn't make it," said Alice suddenly. By the look of my body, I could see why she would think that. Along with the fact that I had been out a good amount of time. I also had no idea how bad I had looked while I was unconscious.

I had to have been a horrible site. My eyes found a pile of red-stained clothes in the corner of the room. "What's with the red cloth?" I asked in order to ease the awkwardness that had built up. "You were coughing up a lot of blood last night," she told me. I didn't see how I had any left in me.

"Was I really in that bad of shape?" She nodded. By the way Alice made my condition sound from when she got me out of the jail, my recovery had been a speedy and miraculous one so far. Somebody knocked at the door of the room, and in stepped the guy that I saw sitting next to Alice at the fire the night I was caught.

Now that I was closer to him, and not looking in from the fence, I saw that he had to be around my age. Maybe a year or so younger. He said, "Hey, Alice, that woman wants to talk to you." His eyes then shifted over to me. "I see its awake." His voice was filled with disgust, and his eyes showed just as much.

Alice stood up and said sharply, "Dan, stop." The brunette growled and left from the room. Alice turned to me and said, "I'm so sorry about him. He has the mindset of an Official. But he put that to the side to help get you here, so he isn't all bad. I'll be right back."

She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. That seemed like a good idea. That way, I wouldn't have to deal with this Dan person's ego or arrogance. People like him, with that kind of mindset, was the reason that the other Outcasts were suffering.

A hollow feeling emerged inside of me when I thought about them. How many of them were already dead by the hands of the Officials?

_Alice_

I glared at Dan when I walked by him. He didn't have to say anything to Shun, but that was Dan for you. Loud-mouthed as ever, and always looking for trouble. I made a mental note to make it clear that if he didn't like Outcasts so much, then to keep clear of Shun.

None of us could afford his personal issues getting in the way of us. I found the old woman sitting in the kitchen. As much time as she spent there, it reminded me of how my grandfather would stay in our kitchen all day. "You wanted to see me?" Last night I had finally learned their names, since my grandfather forgot to mention them to me. The woman's name was Ellie, and her husband was Howe.

Ellie smiled and patted the table. "Sit." The world was falling apart, yet she still smiled. And it wasn't a fake one either. It was a true, genuine smile. The kind that was hard to come by, even before the Officials went mad. The woman placed her hands over mine and said, "I don't want to sound like I'm pushing you or anything, but you know you and your friends cant stay here much longer."

I nodded to let her know that I understand. As safe as this place felt, I knew we couldn't make a home out of it. Our homes were long gone, things of the past. None of us could ever go back to them until things blew over. If they ever did. The woman continued to speak.

"Howe went into town to pick something up this morning, and came back not too long ago saying that the Officials were checking every home for refuges and people hiding them. It will only be a matter of days before they show up here." Of course the Officials would be doing something similar to a home check.

Except, you were more likely to be killed during this one, rather than thrown in jail. Ellie stood up and strode over to the center if the kitchen. She reach over and pulled a hook-shaped piece of bent wire from the wall. Then, she bent over and hooked it into a hole in the wooden floor.

When she pulled up, a secret door popped up, one that was even more well hidden than the secret compartment in my home. I blinked, thinking that the metal hook was for decoration. A key never even crossed my mind. She told me, "When the Officials make it to here, I want you and your group to open this door and go down there. Those steps take you to a tunnel that goes under the City and out into the Wastelands."

Not even a paranoid elderly couple would go to these kind of extremes if they felt they were in danger. This had been planned from the very start. "Why is this here?" I asked, wanting answers now more than ever. Her face grew grave when she said, "A cleansing."

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><p><em>chapter title based off the song Renegade by Daughtry.<em> -plays dramatic music- and the plot is thicker than blood :p (i just made that up o.o) lol. i am tired tired tired tired...TIRED. so, i bid thee farewell until tomorrow. :p read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	19. The Act Behind The Curtain

_Alice_

"Cleansing?" I asked the woman. Something about the grim way she said it, gave me a sick feeling in my stomach, and a chill up my back. "That's what I said. A cleansing." Her words only seemed to grow grimmer and darker every time she spoke. "Could you explain what that is?" I asked, slightly annoyed that she hadn't done so already. Howe, her husband, walked into the kitchen without making a sound.

His voice was what signaled his arrival. "I'll save you the trouble of explaining it, Ellie." His wife thanked him and leaned back in her chair. Howe sat down next to her at the table. I never thought I see the old couple's expressions so serious and without emotion. It was like looking at two different people. He took in a breath and started to speak.

"Back when the City was first undergoing construction, your grandfather and I worked together closely on many of the projects. There wasn't much that we didn't overhear from other workers." I leaned forward, closing adhering to every word the old man spoke. For one, it involved my grandfather. And two, it involved us. Howe cleared his throat so he could continue to speak.

"When the Officials started to keep order, Michael and I were working outside of their conference room. While we were there, we overheard the conversation that the Officials were having." Laughter came from the other room, revealing how badly nobody had a clue about the danger that was to come. Howe continued, while his wife still sat by in silence.

"They were talking about how they predicted that our a large majority of the people in the City would grow weak, and wouldn't be of any worth in giving back to society. In other words, dead weight." Questions hung on the edge of my tongue, but I didn't dare speak.

They were surely be answered soon. "They spoke about what to do with the useless generation to come. That was when one of the Officials, long gone now, put up the idea of 'ridding the City and its people of the dead weight.'" I could already see the gears going into motion as I pieced together what he was probably going to say next.

I didn't want to think that our Officials, the ones who were our government and law, would do something so rash. But everything Howe was telling me, pointing towards it. All I required, were the words to add proof. "Michael and I stayed around and listened to what else they had to say.

Those early Officials came up with their plan. Until it was time for the 'cleansing', they said how they would stand by and watch the people so they could determine when the time was right, and to also pick out the people who were too weak to stay around in the City at that time."

I now knew why the Officials just stood there, watching us. It wasn't for them to look uniform or anything, it was so they could watch us for all of these years. Seeing when the time was right for them to get rid of their weak links. I thought about what Howe said and asked, "What did they do with the people that they got rid of on the spot?"

He had mentioned something about disposing of the people they saw that weren't fit enough to stay in the City. Howe's face had hardly any color in it when he said, "They became the first Outcasts." I had to hold back the small gasp that threatened to come out.

"But….I thought the first Outcasts were-" I stammered that much out when the old man's voice cut me off. "Criminals. Some of them were, but most of them were people who were seen as too weak and were seen as people who couldn't give back to the City. Many of them were just people still suffering from the effects of the nuclear war that had ended. They couldn't help that carnage had ailed them."

I couldn't help but wonder, how much of what we had been told, was a lie? I thought about Shun. His parents were Outcasts. Did that mean that the Officials saw them as worthless people as well? Ellie stood from the seat next to her husband, and walked over to the blocked off window.

She stared at it, as if she were able to see through the curtains. "And it seems like it's started already. All it took was your little Outcast friend to sneak through the fence so the Officials could have a reason to start with their plans." I stood up from the table, my chair skidding back across the floor.

"Shun didn't do anything to start all of this madness!" I shouted, feeling more than just the elderly couple's eyes on me. I turned around, and saw my four friends peering in the kitchen. The old woman walked around the table and placed her boney hands on my shoulder.

"I'm not blaming the boy. All I'm saying is that the Officials took advantage of his actions. That way they could start the cleansing, and not have any worry of suspicion." I understood what she meant. The Officials could work in broad daylight and have no worries. They could do things like the home checks and take away people they no longer wanted to live, and play it off as they were involved with the Outcasts.

Margret returned to my mind. They accused her of having contact with the Outcasts. Now, I couldn't help but think that they only saw her as a worthless human being. True, she had locked herself away after her husband was sent out into the Wastelands, never to be seen or heard from again.

I also began to wonder if the Officials really did know about the map my grandfather had, or if they were doing the same thing at first. Because, if those Officials knew what he was planning, they would have torn the house apart to look for it.

And when Runo had the information beaten out of her, they went after Shun because he had it. They knew that a map like that would ruin their plans, so they weren't going to hesitate to take it away before anyone else could lay eyes on it.

I bit the inside of my cheek and said, "I think you should tell Dan and the others about what's going on." The two elderly people looked at each other, as if they really had to think about this. I knew we couldn't save everyone, but some was better than none.

It was also a chance for Dan to see who the real enemy was. Howe nodded and said, "You're right. Ellie, I'll go and tell them. You can come along too, if you want." He motioned to the door where the others had been standing. I shook my head, not feeling up to hearing the explanation again.

Howe shrugged his shoulders and disappeared into the next room. I turned to his wife and said, "I'm going to go and check on Shun real quick." She nodded, and I turned to go out of the kitchen. I retraced my way back to Shun's room, and found him still laying in his bed awake.

He turned when I walked through the door, and gave me a smile. "That was some long talk you had with that woman. What was it about?" I sat in one of the chairs, and let out the longest sigh I had ever heard. "You wouldn't believe it," I said, and started to repeat the horrifying truth that was walking around outside.

_Shun_

All new reasons for me to hate the Officials. No longer could I really have any hate towards the City; I could only hate the way they viewed the Outcasts. The true monsters were those Officials. The people who the citizens looked to for safety and security. When in actuality, they were the people that should have always been feared.

Feared much more than the fact that they had power. They should be afraid because now, those guardians of the City, were out to kill them. And they were clueless about the act of atrocity they were about to commit on the other side of the curtain. Alice leaned back in the chair, looking exhausted from telling me the story.

She said breathlessly, "I knew the Officials did some horrible things, but I didn't think they were capable of doing something of this magnitude. Or that they would even think about it." Bags were already forming underneath her eyes. I told her, "You should really get some rest."

She shook her head, and I watched as her orange curls swished back and forth, hitting her face when they did. "I hardly slept much last night cause I was so worked up about you, and I really doubt I'm going to sleep after learning about what's going on."

I felt bad for her, wished I could do something to ease her worries. But I was just as much at a loss as she was. I forced myself to sit up, gritting through the pain that followed. She looked at me and said flatly, "You shouldn't be moving around like that while you're still hurt."

I chuckled and told her, "I'm going to be hurt for a while if you don't relax." She gave me a look, then laughed herself. "Guess I should take it easy. I won't be of much use if I'm too tired to run for my life." This time we both shared the laugh. It soon died away, leaving the room in a silence.

All I could hear was the sound of the nighttime bugs coming out for the night, and the voices of her friends in the other room. Alice then brought her knees up to her chest, propping her feet up on the seat beneath her. She looked up at the ceiling and said, "Never in a million years did I picture something like this happening to me."

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what do you mean by that?" Alice held her hands out to signal that she literally meant everything. "I mean, I never pictured sitting here right now, hiding for my life and all of that." _Yeah, neither did I._ I, like most of the Outcasts, always pictured ourselves as remaining out in the Wastelands until we died.

What I was doing and where I was at, was a major leap from the norm. My expression must have turned grim, because Alice asked me, "Is something wrong?" I glanced up at her and said, "I was just thinking about how things were going back in the Wastelands. Last thing I remembered from when I left, was that the water was poisoned and Sarah was dying from it."

Alice's eyes lit up with shock, and I remembered that she didn't know about Sarah. All she knew was that the water was poisoned. "Sarah's dying?" she asked, her words wavering. I hated myself for bringing the topic up, but she would know sooner of later.

"Yeah. She's probably dead now." It wasn't the nicest thought to have, but it was an inevitable one. Alice covered her mouth with her hand. The two of them had some kind of connection with each other. It was like the two of them just clicked when they first met through the fence.

Alice now seemed lost in her thoughts, and I didn't bother her. She needed time to herself to sort through things going on. Just like we all did. Alice needed to focus on what was going on within the walls of the fence, and I needed to worry about what was going down on the other side. Because both of our worlds were crumbling.

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><p>ah. no school tomorrow. woo! -dances- so, most likely there will be an early upload. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	20. It Will Always Be The Same

_Alice_

Shun had fallen back asleep, so I stepped out of his room to meet with the others. Dan and the rest of the group were sitting around, all of them staring intently at Howe. It appeared as if he had just finished telling them the same things he told to me. "You're trying to tell me that the Officials are trying to kill us, just because they think we won't benefit the City? Ha! What a load of crap," said Dan, crossing his arms.

Dan, like most of the people in the City, looked up to the Officials. There was even speculations that he would join them one day. So, now that his future and role models were now turning into monsters before his eyes, Dan didn't want to believe it. Or, maybe he really didn't. He could have been thinking Howe was some crazy old man, who was doing nothing more than trying to scare them.

Although Dan didn't seem to be buying the story, the others did. They all stared at the old man, eyes wide and jaws slack. I wondered if I had looked like that when I learned about this for the first time. Howe stared at Dan. He didn't show much emotion, almost like the old man was expecting Dan to react this way.

Howe let a small grin escape and he said, "You may think of it like that now, but I promise you that your mind will be changed soon." Dan let out a humorless laugh. "Whatever you say old man." Howe turned and vanished back into the kitchen, where he had last left his wife.

I walked over to them and said, "Dan, I know this can't be easy for you to accept, but the Officials are the bad guys here. They've always been, and if you don't believe it then they might kill you like they're about to do hundreds of people." Dan's eyes narrowed on me, then he abruptly stood up.

"No, they're not out there to 'get rid of the weak people' like that old man said. They're out there trying to make sure no other people like you are helping and hiding Outcasts." I flinched back at his words. Did Dan really think that? If he did, then he might as well go on outside and hand himself over to the Officials.

Because, that would be the only way for him to see the light. Runo looked at Dan and said, "Don't go blaming Alice for what's happening outside." I silently thanked Runo for defending me, glad that she was on my side and not against me. Dan looked at her, and sat back down on the couch.

Runo seemed to be the only one who could get through his thick skull at times. _What would we do without her?_ I smiled at my thought, but it vanished when we all heard a loud pop outside. All five of us, were looking around the house to see if we could find the sound.

I even saw Howe and Ellie sitting in the kitchen, both of them scanning the area. Julie looked frightened when she said, "What was that?" Out of all four of them, I think Julie had been scared the most by Howe's story. "It didn't sound like it came from near here," said Murucho, pushing up his wire framed glasses that he had made himself when his old frames broke.

Overall, they made him look more nerdy that before, and we had laughed for days when he started to wear them. But in a world where people could hardly afford bread, we gave him some slack at his genius. He had been right about the distance of the sound.

It didn't seem like it came from near our location. In fact, it didn't seem like it even came from within the City. If not the City, then where? The others were contemplating on what it could have been, while I leaned against the wall and tried to think of where the sound came from.

Two more of the popping noises sounded from the same location. If the Officials were targeting something outside of the City, then what would it be other than….._The Outcasts._

_Shun_

My sleep was interrupted when Alice stormed into my room. I shot up in my bed, just as wild-eyed as she was. "What's going on?" I asked, almost climbing out from under the covers. My first thought was that the Officials had found us, and were about to charge through the door of the house and take us all away.

Alice sat down next to me on the bed, keeping her hand on my shoulder so I wouldn't get up and run off. "What's going on?" I asked, getting annoyed that she had yet to explain. She took in a breath and asked, "Did you hear that noise? The popping?" I shook my head, not quite understanding what she was talking about.

I had been asleep since she left the room, and only woke when she came running back in a panic. The only thing I had heard, were the voices of her friends before I drifted off. Alice found the air to speak, "There was this popping noise, several of them.

None of us could figure out what it could be, but it didn't sound like it was coming from anywhere within the City." I stared at her. What did popping noises have to do with anything? How could they have gotten her so worked up, when I had slept through them? "And what's that got to do with anything?" Alice ran a hand through her thick, orange hair.

"It has to be the Officials. They're up to something." Again, I didn't get how this was anything new. "Ok? When aren't they up to something?" I was starting to think that Alice had finally gone over the edge, and into the pit of insanity. With all the stress she was enduring, it was only a matter of time.

"I think they're doing something to the Outcasts in the Wastelands." They could have been, but we had no proof. Those noises she heard, could have been nothing more than….Well, I couldn't think of what they could have been. But they could have been anything.

Although, Alice's theory was justified. What better way to run us out of hiding, than to attack my home and the people I had grown up around? Alice's friends knocked on the frame of the door. The short blonde one, Murucho if I remembered right, was standing in the middle while the other three were behind him.

Dan was cutting glances at me, each one laced with ice to match. Murucho said in a worried filled voice, "Alice, are you ok? You ran out of the room without any warning." Dan had stopped looking in my direction. Instead, he focused on something in the living room behind him. Next to me on the bed, Alice had responded to Murucho's question without me noticing.

"I'm fine. I just thought about something and freaked out." She wasn't going to tell them about the possibility that the Officials could be attacking and killing the Outcasts. Odds were, they wouldn't have cared anyway. Especially Dan. He would have probably liked it if all of us were gone.

No more burden for him. The true mindset of an Official. But hey, at least the Outcasts weren't the ones playing God and speeding up natural selection. He definitely needed to get his priorities straight and start seeing who was really at fault in all of this.

Alice looked back and forth at me and her friends, then clapped her hands together. "Well, I think we should start thinking about our plan for when the Officials show up." Dan's arms were crossed, and he was leaning against the door frame. "What's there to go over? They show up. We run. The end."

The blue-haired girl narrowed her eyes at him and said, "I think she's talking about if we're going to plan on bringing anyone else along with us. Am I right?" I noticed the faint appearances of bruises and scratches on her face. They were almost gone, but they were still there.

Alice had mentioned something about that girl, Runo if I recalled. This was the girl that Alice told about the map and all of the other stuff that had gone on. Which meant that those bruises were certainly from the brutal hands of Officials.

"Yeah. That's what I meant, Runo. We all need to know if anyone wants to try and located their family to take with them. If so, then we need to do that now." I leaned back into the pillows behind me, staying out of the conversation taking place. It didn't concern me anyway. They all agreed that they at least wanted to try and find their parents. What was the point of me even trying to join in?

Everyone back home was probably dead anyway. I had know idea what the Officials may have done while I had been in the City. They had already poisoned the water, so there was no telling what other warped plans they had. I wished they would go into another room and talk.

I didn't want to hear them talk about their families when mine was gone. It was just too much to come to terms with. Even Alice seemed too focused on the conversation taking place, that she didn't sense how much I wanted them to leave. Not able to take it anymore, I slid out of the bed so I could leave the room on my own. I quickly discovered I still didn't have enough of my strength to walk, because my legs immediately buckled under me, causing me to fall to the wood floor.

That shut them up. Alice ran over and knelt beside me. "Shun, what were you doing?" she asked while helping to get me into a sitting position. I glanced up, seeing all the eyes in the room set on me. That 'animal in a cage' feeling washed over me.

Even if all these people were on my side, I was still different from them. My past, background, and everything else was different. And it hit me that, if we all made it out of the City and to some unknown safety, things wouldn't be any different. People from the City would still have the same views of the Outcasts, and we would have the same views of them.

We would always be the ones who weren't wanted, and they would be the lucky ones with everything they could need. Already, I could see our new lives separated, just like they were now. Alice snapped her fingers in front of my face, bringing me out of my thoughts.

She asked again, "What were you doing?" My eyes moved from the four people standing at the other side of the room, then they moved back to Alice. "Nothing. I was doing nothing," I said flatly. She helped me get back to the bed and turned to her friends. "I think we should finish our conversation in the other room and let Shun continue to rest." They all shrugged and filed out through the door.

Although I could hear them talking, I didn't pay any attention to what they were saying. I laid my head back against the pillows, and stared up at the ceiling. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make it look like the ceiling in my room. It was impossible for me to picture all of the bent and broken boards, all of the holes, and all of the other imperfections that made it part of my life.

I shut my eyes, finding it much easier to place all of my memories than to try and change my surroundings into them. I pictured every face of the people who lived in the houses that were falling apart, I saw every speck of ash floating through the air, imagined every laugh and sob.

And for the first time that day, I heard that noise Alice was talking about, and added to it the screams of the Outcasts that I had just seen in my mind. Slowly, I tuned out the sounds I had imagined, and only heard silence. Sweet, sweet silence.

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><p>yay! +50 reviews. keep em coming! that's what keeps me writing! sorry for being tardy today. i went to see the Hunger Games (finally) overall, it was pretty good. i had to remain from crying in that theater, but i'm sure if i watch it again i might. ^^'' what can i say? im so sensitive. :p lol. (most of the time) well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	21. Bird On A Wire

_Shun_

Thanks to the silence, I had fallen back to sleep. Seemed like I had been doing that a lot lately, despite the emanate danger looming outside. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I had been beaten to a pulp, but what did I know? It didn't feel like I had gone into a dream, but I had. It was one of those moments that the instant you fall asleep, you're in a dream. I wish I hadn't ever drifted off.

My subconscious mind had dropped me off in the Wastelands, right back at my home. Or, where it used to be. The poorly built homes, lay in a crumbled and ashen heap on the group. Thin traces of smoke drifted up from the ruble. My legs felt like stone, but I got them to move. Before I knew it, I was walking through the remains of the buildings that once housed several families at once.

Out behind the carnage, the stream that we got water from, was no longer there. Completely dried up now. I scanned the ground, expecting to see bodies laying haphazardly in the ash. There was nothing. Had the fire been enough to erase them from ever existing?

I doubted the Officials had anything that powerful, but I had been wrong before. I bent down, resting all my weight on my ankles, and traced my fingers in the black ash. The soot was still warm with heat, and smoke lifted into the air when I disturbed its prison.

It wasn't like when I went out into the Wastelands and found grass growing from under the ash. All that was under here were the leftover particles of what once was. I turned my head to the left, the direction of the City. It was still standing, but it no longer held any of the glory that me and the other Outcasts used to see in it.

Somehow, it looked just as lifeless as the Wastelands did. I stood up, my ankles popping from the weight that had been placed on them. I started to make my way back towards the City, seeing that there was no point in staying behind and looking at nothing.

The gate of the fence was wide open, and nobody was standing by to guard it. Anyone could leave or walk right in. So, I did just that. I stepped through the open gate, expecting to be confronted by somebody. I looked around at the buildings, puzzled by the lack of life.

I strode up to an old business, and looked through the glass window in the front. Shelves were knocked over, their contents splayed all over the floor. Behind me, I heard something beating through the air. I turned and found a crow perched on the wire of the fence.

The first form of life I had seen. When I got closer, I saw that both of its eyes were milky white, and blood stained its beak and feathers. I stepped back when I noticed this. The bird cawed at my movement, flapping its wings at me while still staying on the fence. It stopped its little episode, then stared right at me and tilted its head to the side. As if it was waiting for me to do something else.

I found myself squinting my eyes, examining the crimson stains covering him. The bird didn't look like he had any injuries, so where had he come in contact with the blood? My foot moved forward only a couple of inches, and underneath I felt something that didn't match with the flat dirt.

I lifted my foot, and saw a small bone, picked clean of the flesh that had been attached. My head shot back up, eyes fixed on the bird. Certainly a crow couldn't have gotten rid of so many remains and not left a single trace. I then realized that the crows hadn't killed anyone, they had just been scavenging on the leftovers of the killings that had taken place.

And they hadn't left anything behind except a few bone splinters. Now I knew why this bird was eying me with his lifeless eyes. I was probably the first living thing he had seen in a while. Fear washed over me when I thought about whose blood was on the bird. Had it belonged to anyone I knew?

I then started to worry that my blood would join it, but I told myself that one crow couldn't harm me. It might get the chance to peck and break my skin, but it couldn't kill me. And just as if the bird read my thoughts, it resumed to flap its wings and caw.

Only, this caw was different from the one earlier. It was more along the lines of a bloodcurdling screech. I covered my ears at the sound. The crow wouldn't stop. "Shut up!" I yelled, pressing my hands harder against my ears to block it out. The bird only got louder. And louder. And louder.

I looked up at the crow, and saw several more had joined him on the fence. Each of them letting out their own horrible screams. Out in the distance, I saw something moving towards the City. At first it looked like a black cloud, but as it got closer, I saw that it was a cloud; a cloud of crows. With them closing in on the City, the caws got louder and more unbearable. "Will you all just shut up!"

The noised then ceased. Slowly, I removed my hands from my ears and straightened up. All around me, on the rooftops and fence, were the crows that had been flying in a massive cloud. I found my hands shaking, and my heart racing. The stares that these birds were giving me sent chills all throughout my body.

I threw my hands up at them and shouted, "Shoo! Go on! Get out of here!" They didn't budge. Not a one even flinched. They obviously didn't see me as a threat. I found the first crow that had been on the fence. His dead eyes stood out from all the others. He then let out a long screech, and the others followed suit.

That crow then leaped off the fence, and so did the rest of the birds. The black cloud formed and circled over the City. Caws filled the air along with the beating of their wings. Then, the cloud turned towards me, and I felt the weight of the birds ram into my body.

I brought my hands up to shield myself, but I could already feel their beaks and talons leaving scratches on my body. Wings battered into my chest and legs as they flew around me. I was able to open my eyes and look at the mass of black feathers that was around me.

From the swarm, I saw that crow flying right at me. Its white eyes locked on me as its target. When it got right at my face, I jumped awake with a short gasp on air. Sweat was covering every inch of me. I sat upright as quickly as I could, and began to investigate my body for cuts.

There were only the wounds left by the Officials. I started to look around at my surroundings, and saw that I was still at the house that Alice brought us to. The same room that I had been in when I first woke up after she broke me out of the jail. And even in the same bed that I had been in before that horrible nightmare. In the other room, I heard the quiet chatter of people.

Slowly, I started to calm down. The birds had been nothing but a dream created by my mind. They hadn't eaten the dead remains of people, and they certainly didn't attack me either. But I still couldn't shake the feeling of their wings slamming against my arms.

I laid back in the bed, and covered my face with my hands and wiped the sweat off. I lifted my hands above me, and saw how badly they were shaking. My nerves made my jump when the door opened. I relaxed when I saw it was Alice. Who else would it have been?

She seemed surprised at my reaction to her coming into the room. "You startled me," was all I was able to get out, and even that was as shaky as my hands. She quickly closed the door behind her and flipped on oil lamp on that she was carrying in her hand. My eyes squinted in the sudden light, and it was then that I realized it was nighttime.

Alice looked at me for a moment, then turned to face the wall. She stood on the tips of her toes, and hooked the handle of the oil lamp to a small hook that I hadn't noticed. "You look horrible," she said while making sure the lamp wasn't going to fall and catch the room on fire. "Thanks," I replied sarcastically. She left the lamp and sat down in the chair beside my bed.

"I didn't mean it as an insult or anything. I just noticed you didn't look so good." My hands had stopped some of their shaking, but they were still trembling. Alice saw them, then gripped her hands on mine to stop them from their convulsions. I told her, "Really, _really_ bad dream."

She glanced down at my hands and back up at me. "I can see that." The flame from the oil lamp flickered, making its light dance on the walls and floor. The little fire made me think of the smoking ruble of my old home. Was it like that now? Was that what the Officials had been doing when we heard those popping noises?

Alice loosened her hold on my hands, but still kept hers on mine. I could feel that my hands were hardly trembling anymore. Alice then said, "By how freaked out you look, I'm not even going to press and ask what that dream was about." I didn't even want to think about that nightmare, much less talk about it. Eventually I would come around and tell somebody, but not at the moment.

I noticed the silence coming from the living room and said, "They're pretty quiet in there." Alice looked at the door and said, "They all must have gone to bed." The oil lamp's fire grew brighter as it burned more of its fuel. I told her, "You should be asleep too."

She at least needed to be rested, because it was clear that I wasn't going to get anymore for the rest of the night. I was much too afraid of falling back into that dream and resuming at the part I left off at. "I will in a moment, but I wanted to talk to you about something."

I gave her my attention. "What is it?" I asked in response. She took her hands off of mine and placed them in her lap. I had completely forgotten they were there. Not that I didn't mind her holding my hands. In fact, it gave me a sense of comfort and security after that dream. Alice leaned back in her chair.

"Earlier, when you got out of that bed and fell. I know that wasn't just nothing. You were trying to get away from that conversation, weren't you?" I moved my eyes from her, and stared down at the foot of the bed. I let a short laugh escape. "Yeah. It wasn't the best thing to sit and listen to."

I wanted to get off of the topic. It brought up the realization I had when I fell to the floor in front of everyone. The one that showed me that things would never change. Alice nodded her head. "I'm sorry about that. I should have thought about what I was saying and where the conversation was going."

She was holding her head low, and was turning her face slightly away from me. I stared at her, then sat up in the bed and moved over to the right. "Come here," I said and placed my hand on the spot that I cleared off. Alice turned and look at the space, then got up and sat down.

"Ok, I'm here-" The moment she turned her head around to face me, I cupped her face in my hand and made her look me right in the eyes. She was taken aback by my actions, but it was the only way I could think that I might be able to get to her. "Alice, I don't care what you think. None of what's happening is your fault. You couldn't have been the cause of something that's been years in the making."

Her eyes were fixed right on mine when she said, "I know it's not my fault, and I keep telling myself it isn't. But it just feels like it is."

Tears started to form in her eyes, and I brushed them away with my thumb before they could spill over. I found that we were leaning in closer to each other, and our lips met in a kiss for a spilt second. It broke when the elderly woman charged into the room and said that the Officials were here.

* * *

><p>-head falls on keyboard- uhdujadhafhsuhfahaf -.- this is what happens when i write at midnight. sorry for being so late. i woke up late this morning and had a lot of stuff to do, then we went out to eat and blah blah blah. either way, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	22. Another Step Closer

_Alice_

While in the moment of that kiss, Ellie barged into the room. Our reaction was to immediately break apart; force of habit since I was so used to hearing people saying not to get involved with an Outcast. I knew it was kind of late for that, and most of the rules had gone out of the window at this point. But when she told us that the Officials were making their way here, it was like everything slowed down.

Ellie ran out of the room to tell the others about the news. In the slow down of the world, I didn't register the fact that Shun was shaking my shoulder and talking to me. "Alice! Snap out of it! We need to get out of here!" I mentally shook myself awake, then jumped off the bed.

I ran over to the oil lamp and cut the fuel to the flame. The little fire flickered out in a matter of seconds. The last thing we needed was to show that somebody had been inhabiting this room. Shun was trying to stand from the bed, and I remembered that he was still much too weak to get around on his own. I ran over to him and helped steady him.

Thankfully, he could walk on his own. It was just the issue that he couldn't find the strength to stand. We hurried to the living room as quickly as we could. The others were already out of their rooms and were standing around, panic and confused looks on their faces.

Howe placed two fingers in his mouth, and let out an earsplitting whistle. The sound put an end to the chattering, and gathered everyone's attention. He made sure his voice carried across the room when he said, "The Officials will be here in a few minutes. You all need to get to the underground tunnel as quickly as you can. Ellie and I will stay behind to make it look like nobody else was here, and to also give you all time to gain some distance from this place."

I walked Shun over to one of the chairs and made him sit down so I could rest my arm that had started to tire. "You and Ellie aren't coming with us?" I asked Howe. He shook his head. Why wasn't he going with us? He and his wife had a chance to get away from the wrath of the Officials, yet they were staying behind. Were they trying to be heroic for us?

There was no point in doing that. All of us could leave. But then the Officials would wonder why nobody was home, and they might start searching the house and find the tunnel. Then, we would be trapped until we got to the end. I found myself looking at Howe's eyes.

They may have looked old, but there was still some fire and fight behind them. He knew what he was getting into, and he wasn't going to go easily. Neither was Ellie. They clearly saw no reason to go with us because of their age, and this was their home.

They had been waiting years for this day. Planning and preparing. Their years were numbered, and they were well aware of it. Instead of living out the remainder of their lives on the run, they were going to spin them together. And while they did that, they were giving us a chance to have the rest of our lives.

I felt a tear forming in my eyes when I realized that my grandfather would have probably done the same thing if he were around to help us escape. The stolen map then crossed my mind. I said, "We don't have the map anymore. How are we going to know where to go when we make it to the end of the tunnel?" Howe smiled and said, "You really think ole Michael only made one map?"

He stepped into the kitchen and all of us proceeded to follow behind him. Howe opened the secret door of the tunnel and stepped down the stairs into the dark. He returned, holding a metal box similar to the one I found in my home. He opened it, revealing the same kind of map.

I reached in the box and took it out; the paper on this map was much less brittle than the other. Howe grinned at me and said, "Your grandfather thinks things through a lot more than you give him credit for." I smiled, tucking the map away in my dress pocket like I had done before.

Ellie came to us with one of the oil lamps. It was lit and burning bright. She handed it over to Runo and said, "You'll all need this to see down in the tunnel. So don't break it." Runo smiled and said, "I'll make sure it lasts till we get to the end." Before our departure, we exchanged hugs to the elderly couple, thanking them for all they had done for us.

Dan was the only one who had hesitated for a moment, but he soon gave in and hugged them as well. Since Runo had the oil lamp, she was the first to go down the tunnel's stairs. Then Murucho, Julie, and Dan followed behind her.

I turned to Ellie and Howe and told them, "Thank you so much for helping us. Stay safe." They nodded their heads, and Shun and I descended down the stairs. Above us, the hidden door slammed shut, locking us in the tunnel.

_No One_

Ellie and Howe just closed the door to the tunnel. She had made sure to lock it back and hide the key away, just in case the Officials did figure it out. They stayed behind in order to give those kids a running start, and they had no regrets in their decision.

If they had the choice, they would have rather the kids survive than themselves. A knock on the door alerted them of the arrival of the Officials. Howe placed a hand on his wife's shoulder and said, "I'll let them in." She clamped her hands together to keep nerves from making her frail bones from shaking. The old man turned the knob of the door, and revealed six Officials standing straight and in uniform line.

He smiled at them and said, "Oh, hello. Is there something wrong, sirs?" To play the confused old couple that knew nothing about what was going on, was a smart tactic that could through the Officials off course. But that would be on an normal day, not one where the Officials were picking out people to kill.

The Officials didn't respond to Howe's question. Instead, they pushed by him and walked into the couple's home. Already they were searching the rooms for the Outcast, the girl, and her friends. Ellie walked up to them and asked, "What's the special occasion? Another home check?"

One of the Officials turned and narrowed his eyes at her. He was obviously annoyed with the two. He straightened up and said, "We're looking for a group of dangerous individuals. One of which is an Outcast." Ellie covered her mouth with her hand in order to act shocked.

"An Outcast? Here in the City? Well, I can promise you that there is none of them here. If I ever saw one, I would surely turn him in to the Officials like anybody would." The Official looked in another room and said, "Well, sadly there are people who think it is right to speak with those creatures."

Ellie shook her head in pretend shame. She walked off and said, "What is this world coming to?" One of the Officials stepped into a room, and saw an oil lamp hanging by the ceiling. He touched the metal fuel compartment. It was still warm. When he turned around, his eyes fell upon the pile of bloodied cloth in the corner.

He strolled over to it and picked one of them up. The blood was dried, a couple days old at the most. The sight of the red stains reminded him of the bloodied mess that had once been the Outcast they beat several nights ago. The Official clenched the cloth in his hand and stormed out of the room.

He found Ellie and held up the cloth. "What is this?" She stared at the cloth, trying to think of a lie on the spot. "Uh, that's Howe's. He works up at the metal factory and got a cut at work. The poor thing was bleeding all night long." The Official glanced over to Howe, who was watching the others investigate the house. He said, "The old man looks fine to me. Not a scratch on him."

A bead of sweat dripped from Ellie's forehead. "My Howe is a quick healer." Just like a scavenger to a dead carcass, the Official could smell the lie and anxiety in the old woman. He then knew that he had found the house where the Outcast had hidden at one point.

And they were trying to cover up any of their tracks. Ellie watched the Official walk over to his partners, and she quickly ran over to her husband. Discreetly, she whispered to him, "Howe, I know they're on to us. We can't keep this up much longer."

Her husband nodded and whispered back, "I know, Ellie. We have to hang on a few more minutes. Just to give Alice and her friends a little bit more distance. Then, we can give up this charade." Ellie smiled at her husband, seeing the young man that she fell in love with so many years ago.

_What a wonderful way to go, _she thought. The Officials broke their group, then made their way over to Ellie and Howe. All of them, fully aware of the treason the elderly couple had committed.

_Alice_

The tunnel seemed never-ending. The dank and musty smell of the dust and mold filled the air, making it difficult for most of us to catch our breaths. Shun had stopped using me as a means of balance, and was able to walk on his own without much help. But we had to keep a slow pace so we wouldn't leave him behind in the tunnel.

Runo had handed the oil lamp to Murucho so he could hold it for a while. The flame in the glass canister seemed to be getting low. I hoped that we wouldn't run out of fuel this far in the tunnel. There had been enough of the fuel in the metal compartment, that it should have gotten us through the tunnel with light to spare.

But because of Shun's slow pace, we might have been on the verge of running out sooner than planned. I whispered to Shun, "Do you think there's anyway you could pick up the pace? I just don't want us getting stuck in the tunnel without any light." He looked at the oil lamp in Murucho's hands and said, "I can try."

I thanked him and turned my head to face to direction we were walking. He was doing better now. We were actually going a normal walking pace, but it didn't seem easy for Shun. I admired the fact that he was gritting through his injuries for us. Julie groaned and said, "Does this tunnel ever end?"

I wished I had answer for her, but I was wondering the same thing. There didn't seem to be an end in sight. Ahead of us, mice scampered to cracks in the tunnel wall when they saw our light. Murucho followed them with the light of the oil lamp and said, "They had to have gotten down here somehow."

Julie clapped her hands together, causing an echo in the tunnel. "Does that mean we're almost out of this place?" she asked in her perky voice. I knew Shun had to be wondering how Julie could be so uppity all the time. I wanted to tell him I had no clue either.

None of us really understood Julie, and I doubted we ever would. The oil lamp's light finally revealed to us another set of stair like we went down when we first embarked the tunnel. We all ran up the stairs and started to push up on the wood door that was blocking us from the outside world.

Dan growled and said, "Why won't this stupid thing budge!" He hit the door with the side of his hand, and ask fell between one of the wood boards. I then remembered how Ellie and Howe said that the tunnel went out into the Wastelands. Then I pictured how well hidden the door in their home was, and figured out our dilemma. "It's hidden under the ash."

Everyone looked at me. Murucho was the first one to understand. "I get what Alice is saying. The door is hidden under ash from the Wastelands. There's no telling how much is piled on top of it from all these years." The little blonde set the oil lamp down on one of the steps, and he began to inspect the door.

Runo asked, "If we can't open it, then how are we going to get out?" Julie started to have an episode. She started to freak out and kept on saying, "We're trapped in here! We're going to die in this hole! I would have rather been shot by the Officials! At least then somebody would know that I was dead!"

Dan growled and snapped, "Julie! We aren't going to die down here! So shut up!" Julie stopped talking, but it was clear that she didn't believe Dan's words. She still thought we were going to die in this tunnel. Murucho scratched the back of his hair and said, "If pushing up doesn't work, then maybe pulling down will.

Everyone, hook your fingers under a board if you can." We all did as Murucho said, and started to pull down. The door groaned as weight was added onto it. It then released a loud crack. One that almost sounded light lightning. Murucho shouted, "Get back!"

We all jumped off of the stairs in time to watch the wood door collapse in on itself. Piles of ash cascaded down like a waterfall. When it stopped, we were left with an opening that showed us the night sky and all of its stars. We were another step closer.

* * *

><p>-pops out of a multi color egg- HAPPY EASTER! I hope everyone has fun finding eggs and all of that good stuff, And remember, always find the real eggs, or else you'll be in for a smelly surprise the next day. :p read, review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	23. Welcome Back

_Shun_

We surfaced from that God-forsaken tunnel, and I couldn't have been more grateful. I enjoyed the open landscape that the Wastelands provided; not the cramped, dark tunnel we just left behind. Alice had helped me over the heap of debris that had been made when we pulled the door down.

They were all dusting themselves off; I just stood around and started to scan my surroundings. The first thing I saw what the City. It was still the same. I would have though it would look different, considering what was going on inside the fence. Since there was nothing special about the City, I started to turn and look around for my home. Panic started to build up in me when I couldn't find it. Then, I saw its small outline across the Wastelands. _I've got to remember that I'm on the other side of the City._

Alice and her friends had finished getting the dirt off themselves. I walked over to her and said, "I want to check on the Outcasts back home…To check on them." Alice knew what I really wanted to go there for; to see if there was anything left. She nodded and turned to her friends. "We're going to make a stop at Shun's old home before we start following the map."

Dan stepped between the silver-haired girl and short blonde; I still wasn't good with all of their names yet. He said harshly, "Why should we go there? It's not like there's anything worth seeing anymore." He also mumbled something under his breath that sounded like, _"As if there ever was."_ I growled. I knew this couldn't be too fun for the brunette who had spent all his life in the City, knowing of nothing else other than to hate the Outcasts.

But he wasn't in the City anymore. Things were changing, and quickly. My hands clenched by my sides when I snapped, "Listen, you-" Alice stepped between the two of us. She kept us an arm's length apart, and I wondered if that was enough to keep us from getting into any kind of conflict.

Alice snapped her head to her right so she could face Dan. Her eyes were daggers at him. "You would want to do the same thing if you wanted to know whether your family was still alive or not. Besides, it's the first stop on the map anyway." Dan reluctantly backed down.

He hissed under his breath, "Yeah, but we didn't get our families out of the City. So why should we worry about his?" Alice let out an aggravated sigh, but didn't say or do anything to him, even though she wanted to. She walked over to me and apologized for Dan once more.

"He's never been this bad before," she said softly and glancing at the brunette. Dan kicked some of the ashes on the ground, then growled. "It's probably because I'm here," I told her. Alice wasn't going to sugar-coat it. We both knew that's why he was like this. She could tell me story after story about how nice or funny Dan could be. But as long as I was within the same vicinity as him, he was going to be a totally different person.

_The sooner we get all of this over with, the better._ We had no reason to use the map to find my old home. For one, I knew where it was. And two, I could see it. All of us made an effort to stay low to keep from being seen, but that was a difficult task.

There were no trees or rocks to hide behind, nor were there any buildings out in the Wastelands like there was in the City. The cover of night helped somewhat, but our silhouettes could still be spotted. Although, the Officials were probably too busy rounding up the people they wanted to kill, that they'd probably not even notice us. As we got closer to my old home, I saw that it looked darker than normal.

And I figured out why; no fires were lit. Usually, somebody was always burning a fire for either warmth, or even for just the illumination it provided. My heart started to sink when I thought about what that could mean. No fire. No life. Alice must have sensed my worry, because I felt her hand on my shoulder.

I looked at her, the only thing visible were her brown eyes. "I'm sure everybody is fine." But even her voice gave away the hint of doubt she was feeling. My home was the best weapon the Officials could use against me while I was hiding in their City.

Dawning sunlight was peering over the horizon, painting the sky with oranges, reds, and pinks. Nature didn't have a clue of the horror taking place in its midst. I stopped walking when I could clearly see the cluster of houses. The already broken and chipped windows, were broken even more. Some of them that had no damage to them, now sported holes and cracks in the glass.

It looked like somebody had hurled a rock, or other object, through it. I saw the familiar bodies of the Outcasts. They shuffled along the sides of houses. Seeing that there was still people alive, I ran through two houses and into the center of our little town. People froze when they saw me. Not as many faces as I remembered there being, but I was just overjoyed that there were any.

"Shun?" I turned around to meet the face of the voice that had said my name. A smile slapped me across my face when I saw Christina standing on the porch of the orphanage. Her eyes were fixed on me, almost like they didn't want to leave because of fear that I'd vanish again.

Christina ran from the porch and towards me. I found my own self running towards her as well, despite the soreness still in my limbs. We both skidded to a halt at the same time, staring at each other like we were looking at ghosts. Christina's eyes scanned over me, taking in the fact that I was real. That I was me, and not some imposter. "You're alive. We all thought you were dead, or that the Officials took you when they left."

I was sure that a lot of people thought I was dead. My sudden disappearance went without a single word of where I was going. I got up, and left. Never told anyone. And then I was captured and so on. The words that Christina said finally registered to me. "The Officials were here? What did they do?"

I felt the happiness of seeing that Christina was alive begin to fade away, and it was replaced with anger at the fact that the Officials had been here. What had they done? Christina nodded and said, "They were here a couple of days ago, but they didn't do anything to us. That was when we noticed you were gone, and all of us thought they took you away."

That would have meant the Officials showed up right after my capture. But why would they have gone out in the Wastelands if they didn't have the immediate intentions of hurting anyone? _Those Officials work in strange ways._ Christina clutched her hands together and said, "But sometime last night, while we were all sleeping, they showed up again. We were all starting to turn in for the night when we heard this loud popping noise."

I cut her off before she could say anything else. "Popping noise?" My worst fears and worries had been verified. Those loud noises Alice and the rest of us heard last night, had in fact, been from the Officials attacking the Outcasts. Again, I cut her off. "What did they do?"

Christina looked around on the ground, then picked up a metal can. It looked like the one that contained the poison that was thrown in the river. She handed it to me. I took it, scanning over it. The metal was still warm, as if it had been laid next to a burning fire. "What is this?" I asked, not able to figure it out.

The Officials had technology well beyond anything we could comprehend. Christina stared at it grimly and said, "Gas canister. They shot several of them into the houses to get people out into the open." That would explain the damage to the windows. I imagined how terrified and confused the Outcasts had to be when one of those cans shot into their homes and released its contents into the air.

"What did they do after that?" I asked, not wanting to know, but I had to. She took the canister away from me and tossed it back on the ground. "They shot poison gas at the ones who ran outside." Haunting images flittered through my mind as I thought about my nightmare.

The smoke that lifted through the ash. Had it been the poison gas, rather than smoke from the burned buildings? Maybe. I looked past Christina, and saw the building that I used to share with her and the parentless children. "Did any of the kids….You know…Get caught in it?"

Christina bit her lower lip and sighed. "Some of them did. When a gas canister shot into the house, we all panicked and started to run outside to get away. But the moment I saw what the gas was doing outside, I got as many of them together that I could and made them hold out through the gas in the house. At least it was harmless."

I knew Christina didn't want to leave those kids outside to be killed by the Officials, but she could have only controlled so many of the panicking children. I could see by the look on her face, that she hated herself for what happened. She couldn't have done anything to stop it, but I would never be able to convince her of that. Christina put on a sad smile and said, "So, now that you've been caught up, what's been going on with you? Where did you run off to?"

I felt like a traitor. I had run off and left them all behind and never told them. Even my capture was my fault for not being observant to my surroundings. "It's been crazy on my part. I'll have to sit down and catch you up." She nodded, then her gaze went to something behind me. I turned to see what she was looking at. Standing behind me, was Alice and the rest of the group.

I had been so caught up in speaking with Christina, that I had forgotten about them. Alice waved at Christina, who in turn, smiled and waved back. "This is our little group of refuges," I said and held my hand out to motion to them. Christina looked at me quizzically. "Refuges?"

I nodded and replied, "Long, long, _long_ story. That's why I said it'd be best if we sat down and went over everything that's happened so you'll catch up." Christina pointed back towards the orphanage and said, "You can tell me in there." I motioned for the others to follow me.

Dan, of course, didn't look like he wanted to go. But with some coaxing, he made his way down towards the orphanage with the rest of us. I walked through the door, and took in the familiar surroundings. The building that I spent most of my life in, still looked the same, but held a more ominous feeling now that I knew most of its inhabitants were gone from this world.

There was a chorus of squeals, and I looked down to see some of the kids smiling up at me. "Shun!" they yelled and hugged my legs. I laughed and said, "Hey, guys." A sad feeling washed over me. Was this all that was left of them? I couldn't image how hard it was for the older ones to have watched their brothers, sisters, and friends killed by the Officials.

My eyes left from the kids, to the little corner that I had last seen Sarah laying in. It was now empty, the blankets piled carelessly in the corner. I knew she wouldn't have made it, so why had I clung onto the hope that she would? I forced my thoughts away from the corner and put on a smile for Christina. "Ok, let's get started."

* * *

><p>omg. i had the most random idea. a parody of The Blues Brothers, with the brawlers. i was like, that could be kinda cool. i doubt i'll do it though (i'd have to watch the movie God knows how many times to have it all down by memory). it still would have been fun and interesting to see how that turned out. who knows? if there are enough 'yays' for it, then maybe it will happen. ;) (hint hint) well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	24. Crossroads

_Alice_

I sat by as Shun caught Christina up on everything that's happened since his absence. It amazed me how he didn't miss a single detail; other than what all happened while he was unconscious. He would always remember the past several days. Every minute, every second, was etched in his memories from now on. Whether bad or good, they were there. And most of them were pretty bad.

While Shun continued to talk, I was distracting myself by speaking to the kids in the orphanage. They were happy to see me again, although I couldn't enjoy their reactions because I was too caught up in the fact that one of them was gone. Shun had told me about Sarah's poisoning from the water that had been ruined by the Officials.

Thankfully, she had been the only one to fall victim. But that was still one too many. I had noticed when we walked into the house, Shun's eyes immediately went to one of the corners that had a pile of blankets in it. In his face, I could see the last memory he had of what was there.

It wasn't him laying there when I stayed the night out in the Wastelands. It was of Sarah. I could see the little girl laying on the now balled up blankets, her eyes crying as the poison hurt her more and more. Shun had quickly turned away before Christina could notice what he was looking at.

When that fake smile crossed his face, I felt sorry for him. He was trying to act fine, but that smile proved how damaged he was inside. Slowly, day by day, his life was being torn apart like everyone else's. Except, maybe a little bit faster. Shun finally finished telling Christina his side of the story.

She stared at him, shocked that he had gone through all of that within only a couple of days. One of the younger children walked up to her, crying and begging for Christina to notice him. She gave him a few seconds of comfort; enough to calm him and stop his crying.

The little boy then went on his way and ran off into another room. Christina reverted her attention to Shun. "That's insane. I can't believe that the Officials are doing something like this." I had heard my fair share of those words the past couple of days.

It was easy to believe it when you heard it enough; and saw it for yourself. Behind me, I heard Julie and Runo gawking over the kids that were running around. They were going on and on about how cute they were, and the kids seemed to be eating the attention up.

Murucho was trying to spark up a conversation with Dan, who was blatantly ignoring the short blonde. Dan really looked like he didn't want to be here. Not one bit. I let out an exasperated sigh. _When will he learn?_ I returned to listening to Shun and Christina's conversation.

They had changed topics. Well, almost. It still involved the Officials. Shun looked at her and said seriously, "You and the others aren't safe here. The Officials will be back here in no time so they can finish the job they started." Christina looked at him as if he had slapped her in the face. "You really suggest leaving? Where do we go? We can't go to the City, that would be an obvious bad idea. And if we go into the Wastelands, we might as well call ourselves dead."

Shun's expression only got more serious. "You don't understand, Christina. We have a map, a designated route to follow that will stop at the mountains. It was made for just this exact scenario. You have to see reason and come with us. We can't stay here," he said without taking any breaths.

It was clear, Shun wasn't leaving without them. He would either take them with us, or stay behind and die with them. Christina shook her head slowly. "Shun, I'm sorry. But whether we go or not, our chances of making it are very low. You of all people know what I'm talking about. You've seen just as many people die in the Wastelands as I have."

Shun slammed his hand down on the kitchen table where the two of them were sitting at. Personally, I thought it would have broken, but it stayed intact. "I'm not going to lose anymore you guys," he said defiantly. The whole house was silent. None of us said anything, not even the kids that had been running around and laughing. He slowly returned back to his seat, taking in a calming breath so he wouldn't explode like that again.

Christina smiled sadly at him and said, "I don't want to lose anybody else either, Shun. But the odds are against right now, and they aren't any better out in the Wastelands. Besides, most of the other Outcasts are in no shape for that kind of journey." The tension in the room was thick.

I held my breath, waiting for whatever would happen next. I could understand Christina's logic, but she had to understand what was at risk. Staying behind would ensure a certain death by the Officials, and a brutally painful death at that. But at least out in the Wastelands, there was a chance that they could make it to the end of our journey.

Shun closed his eyes and stood up from the table. "I'll be outside," he said coldly. He walked past all of us, not making any kind of eye contact. When he was out of the house, I heard Christina sigh. I looked at her in time to see her shaking her head. I was glancing back at forth at the door and Christina, then got up and hurried outside.

_Shun_

I had never known Christina to be so stubborn like this. She had always been open to reason, so what made this any different. I could understand if she was scared after the attack from the Officials, but to stay behind and wait for them to come back was something completely different.

Yeah, a lot of the Outcasts were too old or weak to make the entire trip, but at least they wouldn't be left behind and brutally killed. Christina and the kids had the best chance of making the trek, but she didn't want to hand them over to the Wastelands. I needed to relax and calm down so I could try and find a different approach to convincing Christina to change her mind.

But there would be no hope of that as long as I was still worked up. A few people that were outside, noticed my presence. Everyone knew that I was back though, so they just took a glance and went on about their business. I sighed and walked up the incline behind the orphanage. Now that I was at the top of the little hill, I sat down on the blackened, flat ground.

An immediate rush of calm came over me as I took in the memories of this place. The last one I could recall, was when I showed Alice the mountains that the hill faced. I smiled, but it slowly faded. I didn't want to lose all the memories of my life that I held out here.

Even if they weren't the best by most people's standards, they were my life. Days that I had spent growing up. My hand ran across the ground I was sitting on. The tips of my fingers felt small rocks underneath them. I found myself picking up one of the rocks, looking at it, then chunking it out into the Wastelands in front of me. Throwing the rock was a slight relief of stress, but it would take a lot more to calm me down.

I was about to throw another, when I heard somebody's voice behind me. "I thought I'd find you up here." I turned around and found Alice standing there. I proceeded to throw the rock in my hand while she took a seat next to me. She pulled the new map out of her dress pocket, and unfolded it.

Her eyes gazed at the mountain drawn on the paper, then they shifted to the actual thing in front of us. "That's where we're going." I threw another rock. "Yeah, but not all of us." I watched the rock bounce out into the Wastelands. It quickly lost momentum and remained still in its new resting place.

Alice continued to look at the map when she said, "I know you want Christina and the others to come along with us, but it's kind of up to them if they want to go or not. I mean, you can't exactly force them to join us." I had run out of rocks next to me, and wished I had more to throw so I could keep my mind preoccupied.

"I know I can't force them. What's getting to me is the fact that they'd rather sit around and let the Officials take their lives." It didn't make any sense to me. Most of them were already starving, so it wouldn't be any different for them if they followed us through the Wastelands.

We had survived this long, I was sure we could survive a little bit longer. Alice said, "You can keep trying to convince Christina to get the other Outcasts to go with us, but I'm just telling you this now. You'll probably be speaking on deaf ears. I'm not saying I want to leave them behind, because I don't. But it looks like Christina has her mind well made up." Alice's words rang true.

When Christina thought it was in the best interest of the Outcasts, she stuck alongside it. Alice stood up, dirt falling from the skirt of her dress. "You stay out here and keep cooling down. I'll go and try and help you change her mind." Alice walked down the small hill, leaving me to myself.

I tilted my head back to look up at the sky. A large bird, which looked like a hawk, was flying around under the brightly burning sun. I had to shield my eyes so I could continue to look up without becoming blind. I sat out on that hill till the sun was starting to vanish behind the mountains, just like it did every evening.

Feeling more calm than before, I got up and slid down the small incline that made up the hill. When I walked back into the orphanage, I found Alice sitting at the kitchen table with Christina; the others were just standing around with their arms folded. Christina saw me and said, "You're not getting me to change my mind."

Alice looked at me and added on, "I've been trying to convince her, but it's not working." Murucho was looking out of the window; he had to stand on the tips of his toes in order to get his eyes above the frame. He said nervously, "Uh, guys. I think we should get going."

We all looked at the short blonde, then moved to look out the window. With a clear view of the City, we could see the gate opening on the other side, and Officials were gathering around. They were coming for here, there was no doubt about that. This would be my final chance to try and to convince Christina.

"They're about to be here in a matter of minutes. And when they get here, they aren't going to take any survivors. Do you still want to have everyone stay behind and face that?" Christina held a steady gaze with me and said, "I know you may not think it's the right thing to do, but…..It doesn't matter where we go. They're going to follow us. It'll be best for everyone, including you and your group, if we stay behind."

Now I saw her true motives. It was just like the old couple back in the City; Christina wanted to give us a chance. She knew that if we took all of the Outcasts with us, the Officials would be right on our scents. Right now, they had no proof we had been here, and it was best if it stayed that way.

This fact hadn't even crossed my mind. I had been too busy trying to get them to follow us, that I wasn't thinking through every outcome possible. "Are you sure, Christina?" She nodded and said to me, "I'm sure. Besides, there's nothing out there for me anymore."

A single tear spilled over her eye, and one did the same to me. I had known her a good portion of my life, and it would be difficult to leave her behind. It was going to be difficult to leave any of this behind. "You all need to get out of here before they show up," she told us.

All of our group hurried out and I said a final good-bye to her and the kids who had followed us outside. A few more farewells were exchanged with the Outcasts who were standing outside of their homes. They said how they wished us well on our trip. I didn't have it in me to wish them well back.

I knew what was coming for them, and didn't want to feel like a liar; I already felt like a traitor to them. Murucho pointed in the direction the map told us to go, and we headed out. I didn't look back, no matter how much I wanted to.

Alice skipped up next to me and said, "I know this has to be hard for you, but they say it's for the best." _I know._ I wasn't able to find my words. We walked a way, and the cluster of houses started to grow smaller in the distance. The setting sun turned the sky a deep mixture of blue and purple, and orange light came from low on the other side of the mountains like flames.

We came to a halt at a lone tree in the middle of the Wastelands. Its black branches spread out into the air like fingers and arms reaching for a hand that would never grab them back. There was a flapping, and a crow landed on one of the limbs.

It stared at us, then cawed and took off in the direction we had come from. Chills went up my spin when I realized, I hadn't stopped the dream I had. I had only gotten away from it before I could witness it.

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><p><em>chapter title based off of the song Crossroads by Dead By April. <em>ah. another chapter done. time to reward myself with a snack. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	25. Temporary Bliss

_Alice_

We made camp within the center of a cluster of dead trees. They were somewhat ominous against the night sky and its moon. It was the best place to rest unless we wanted to lay out in the open space of the Wastelands. And quite frankly, I was much too jumpy to be doing that. I kept thinking an Official would pop up at any moment, even if I did know they were far away from us.

Murucho had scrounged up some materials to make a fire. Now, we were all huddled around the fire, surrounded by our fence of trees. Well, all of us except Shun. He was sitting away from our circle, all by himself and quiet. The only time he spoke was to answer simple 'yes' or 'no' questions, and there hadn't been that many directed at him.

His back was pressed against the trunk of a tree. I didn't like seeing him like this. If I found anyway to bring the Outcasts with us, I would have if it meant helping Shun. He wasn't facing us, but his head was turned to look in the direction of travel we had just come from.

His mind was thinking just like mine; What was going on back there? We had traveled far enough away from Shun's old home, that it was no longer in our view. It was lost miles away from us. Across from me, I heard Julie groan. Or, more like her stomach. I turned to look at her, and she had her hand placed over her abdomen.

She smiled nervously and said, "What? I'm hungry." Next to her, Dan said, "We all are, Julie. None of us have eaten since we left the City." I was a little hungry myself, but not as much as Julie seemed to be. The fire snapped and sent embers flying up into the air.

All that fire, and nothing to cook on it. Dan looked beyond me and said, "Maybe he knows something we can eat since he's lived out here the longest." There was a tint of attitude in Dan's voice, but I didn't think he meant for it to be there. Shun glanced up at him; he didn't face us though.

"There's nothing to eat out here. I promise you." The first words he spoke since leaving the other Outcasts, and the only reason he said them was to answer Dan's question. Their little exchange of words ended there, leaving Shun to go back to his world of solitude.

Murucho was looking around at his surroundings and said, "Maybe we'll get lucky and catch a bird or something." Julie held up her hands and stuck her tongue out. "Ew! I'm not eating some bird from out here!" Dan glanced at her, a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Well, I see who's going to starve first." Julie narrowed her eyes at him, but had no response to his remark. Dan then leaned up and held up his hands, wiggling his fingers like a spider does its legs. "Then we might have something decent to eat when you fall out."

He added in a maniacal, deep laugh. Julie squealed at swatted her hand at him. "Stop it, Dan! That's not funny!" The others were laughing, but all I did was crack a smile. Runo was still laughing, but she stopped when she noticed I wasn't joining in on their fun.

"Hey, what's up, Alice?" she asked. I glanced back at Shun, who had moved around the tree so his back now faced us. Runo mouthed the word, _"Ohhh."_ and nodded her head to show she understood why I wasn't enjoying the fun taking place by the fire.

She left it at that, not pressing the topic any further. As long as Shun was going to be like this, I was going to preoccupied with worry for him. The moon was now at its highest, signaling the late hour of night. The others had fallen asleep; Runo was leaning against Dan, while Julie and Murucho just laid down on the ashy ground.

Julie had about a ten minute tantrum about why she didn't want to sleep on the ash, but sleep shut her up and she lost the battle. The fire was pretty much gone now; only a few little flames lapped at the air as they tried to stay alive. The rest was nothing but brightly burning coals and embers that occasionally popped.

I was still awake, although, sleep was trying to pull me into its grip. I turned around to look at Shun again. _At this rate, my neck's going to break._ I got up, leaving the fire, and quietly made my way over to Shun. He was still leaned against the tree, arms folded over his chest and eyes shut.

I couldn't tell if he was sleeping, or trying to. I bent over and shook his shoulder lightly. His eyes slowly opened, confirming that he had been asleep. "What?" he asked groggily, and rubbed his eyes. When he removed his hand away from his eyes, I saw that they were a faint color of red and slightly puffy.

How had I not noticed that he had been behind me and crying? I pointed to the fire with my thumb and said, "Why don't you sleep over there so you won't be cold?" It was a huge difference in temperature by the fire compared to the place where Shun was at. It was enough of a drop that it sent a shiver through my body when I crossed the line of the fire's limit. He looked up at me; I had never seen eyes as void of emotion as his were.

"I'm used to the cold. Don't worry about me." He pressed himself back into the dead tree trunk, and closed his eyes as a means to tell me to leave him alone. I wasn't about to give in that easily. So, I sat down next him, leaning against my own part of the tree. Shun had leaned forward and was looking at me like I had gone crazy

. "What are you doing, Alice?" I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Just sitting here." He sighed and turned back around. "I'd kind of like to be alone for a while," he said softly. _I know you do, but you shouldn't._ I kept my thoughts to myself though, not quite bold enough to speak them yet.

I just wanted him to know that I cared and was there for him; he needed at least that much. He snuck a glance around the tree to see if I had gotten up and left. His face showed aggravation at the fact that I was still sitting there. "Could you please let me be by myself?" he asked from the other side of the black tree.

From his voice, I could hear how badly he wanted me to leave him alone, but I wasn't going to. No matter how much he asked or begged me to go. I was going to stay right at the base of that tree trunk. Shun let out an exasperated sigh from behind me.

"I know you're worried about me, but don't be. I just need some time to myself before we get moving again." I pulled off a piece of the bark from the tree and asked, "Haven't you had enough time to yourself? You've been by yourself all night, and haven't even said a single word. I'm just trying to help and make sure you're fine. And secluding yourself from everybody, isn't good for you when you need somebody there for you."

He pushed himself up and was now standing. I got up as well. We stood facing each other, maybe about an arm's length apart. His eyes were sharp, and the reflection of the dying fire behind me made his eyes light up and mimic the dancing wisps of flame.

"Make sure I'm fine? How could I be fine when my life and all the people I know and loved, are being killed right now? Huh? How can I be fine knowing that and living with myself because I allowed it to happen?" His voice was starting to raise, but it never went above normal speaking level.

Thankfully, none of the others woke up. The last thing I wanted, was for them to watch and listen to our conversation. I was sure Shun didn't want an audience either. He quickly wiped away a couple of tears that had started to run down his face.

I reached out and took his hand in mine and said, "I'm fully aware of what pain you're going through, but you have to stop blaming yourself for what's happening to them. It was _their_ to stay behind so _you _could have a chance. They made that sacrifice, so don't let it go to waste by taking the blame when there is none."

He remained quiet, but kept his amber eyes locked on me. His eyes showed me that he knew I was right, but he still wanted to blame himself. Was blaming himself a way to cope with the loss of his life? If it was, then it wasn't the way he needed to handle this. Shun took his hand out of mine; I had forgotten I was still holding it.

He stepped back and leaned against the same tree. He then slid down the trunk and sat at the ground, letting out a long, shaky sigh. "How would you deal with it?" he asked me. I sat next to him and said, "I'm not sure how I would deal with something like this. Yeah, I'm still trying to cope with the loss of my Grandfather, and I still find it difficult to think about it. But I'm also trying to find ways to not blame myself for what happened to him. It was out of my power and control. There was nothing I could have done to stop it, even if I knew about if beforehand."

The thought of my grandfather brought a pang to my heart, but it was the only way I could relate to Shun at the moment. He needed somebody to compare to. Somebody who had kind of gone through the loss he was. I may not have been close to all the people in the City, but I still considered them a part of my family, just as I had done the Outcasts when I had gotten to know them.

In a way, I had lost just as much as Shun; my home and everything I ever knew. The only difference was that I wasn't close to a lot of the people in the City. Shun was so attached to all of the other Outcasts, that they were all his family. Shun leaned his head back against the tree and sighed.

"I'm so tired," he said with hardly any air to support his words. He did look exhausted, but I was sure he meant tired of all the stuff going on. It really was a lot to take in and accept. I wondered how I had managed this far, or if I had even been hit by its effects yet. Shun closed his eyes and sighed again.

His breathing started to slow down as sleep gripped his body. My own thoughts were growing murky as I tried to stay awake. I knew I wouldn't be up for much longer, and that if I didn't get some sleep, I would be miserable when we started to continue our traveling in the morning.

Murucho had clearly pointed out our next stop, and it wasn't that far away from where we were camped out at. At least, he didn't think it was. It also kind of depended on if he was reading the map right, which I was sure Murucho was doing. _Never should one doubt the genius mind of Murucho. _

I was too tired to get up and walk back over to the circle of my sleeping friends, so I scooted myself back over to the tree and leaned my back against the trunk next to Shun. Our arms touched each other, but he didn't seem to notice since he was already asleep.

Not twenty-four hours ago, we were back in the City and our kiss ruined by the arrival of the Officials. I thought about how much better it was than the one I gave him while he was unconscious after I got him out of the jail. Did he even know about that kiss? I laid my head against his shoulder.

He moved a little, but didn't wake. I shut my eyes and allowed sleep to take me under its blissful hold. Out of all the people on the planet, who would have thought I would have fallen for an Outcast?

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><p><em>chapter title based off the song Temporary Bliss by The Cab. <em>here ye, here ye! (or however it goes) i hereby decree that there will be** no uploads on the days of Thursday and Friday, and possibly the day of Saturday. **for i shall be gone to a clinic of jazz. (i have no clue what is up with the Old English, i swear o.o'') well, why i go and see why my brain is having me type in an ancient language, read, review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~


	26. The Lake

_Shun_

The sounds of people moving around woke me from my sleep. _And I was enjoying it._ For once, I wasn't plagued by the nightmares that had attacked my subconscious mind. In fact, I didn't recall any dreams I may have had. All I did remember, was that Alice was sitting next to me when I drifted off; and she still was.

Her head was leaned against my shoulder, her eyes still shut and her breathing was shallow as she still slept. I had to admit, even though I tried to push her away last night, I was grateful that she didn't leave. I looked away from her and faced the others.

All of them were awake now and gathering the few things they had. A few of them glanced over at us, but went about their business afterwards. Dan was the only one that gave us a cold, hard look before stomping out the remainder of the fire's coals and hiding it so the evidence of us being there, never existed. _Smart._ I ignored his looks and turned my attention back to Alice.

Lightly, I shook her shoulder and whispered, "Hey, time to get up. We're leaving." She raised her head from my shoulder and looked around with her sleepy eyes. Safe to say, she wanted a few more hours of sleep. I got up and held my hand out for her to grab.

Reluctantly, she took it and got up as well. "I know you still want to sleep, but we can't stay here. Not with the Officials on our trail," I told her. Alice nodded, fully understanding that time was of precious essence. "Are you guys coming with us, or staying here?" Julie asked, waving her hands above her head in the air.

"Yeah, we're coming," I called back. Dan cut a look and turned around. _What's his deal today?_ He had glared at me before, but never to this extent. Did he have a problem with me being close to Alice? I wouldn't think that he liked her, since he was always around the blue-haired girl called Runo.

He seemed to favor her over any of the other girls that he hung around with. Alice followed beside me as we all started to make our ways through the Wastelands once again. Random thoughts and memories of my home that I was leaving behind, kept popping up. I couldn't dwell on what was behind me.

That was the past now, and I had to focus on what was ahead of us. Murucho stopped and looked over the map. He looked up at the sun and said, "The sun rises in the East, which would be that way, and according to the map we need to head in North. So…..That's our direction of travel."

He pointed one of his short fingers out into a seemingly endless part of the Wastelands. I couldn't help but wonder what was out there that could be waiting on us. Would there even be anything out in that direction? We followed Murucho's directional advice, seeing that he seemed to know what he was doing.

It felt like an eternity before the sun reached its highpoint in the sky, and it seemed like we hadn't made any progress in our journey. Runo stumbled and almost fell into the ash, but not before Dan caught her in time. Julie ran over to them and asked, "What happened?"

The rest of us finally made our ways over to the two of them. Runo wobbled back up to her feet, with the help of Dan and Julie. Murucho took one look at her and said, "She looks dehydrated." Dehydration. One of the many things out in the Wastelands that will take your life quickly.

Well, if you don't lose your mind first. Dan told us sternly, "We need to get her some water. Hell, we all need something to drink. Is there any out here that you know of?" He turned to me for the answer. I shook my head when all the eyes fell on me.

"The only source of water I know of was the stream behind my home….But it dried up after poison was dumped in it," I said, adding in a glare to Dan, who had happily been gloating about the act before all hell broke loose. He rolled his eyes and growled. "Well, we need to find something. And quick. Or we're all going to dry up out here in this heat."

I had to admit, it was pretty hot. And out in the Wastelands, where there was hardly any shade, you had no relief from the sun's merciless power. He helped to steady Runo on her feet, and we continued on our way. After a little while, Alice spoke up and asked Murucho, "Do you have any idea how much further till our next stop?"

The blonde held the map up and said, "I can't really tell unless I have a map scale, but I'd guess we're getting close." Julie sighed and sat down in the ashes, taking off her shoes and rubbing her feet. "Can we please take a break?" she whined.

Dan lowered Runo down to the ground and said, "No, we need to try and find water, then we can rest. Trust me, Julie, I want to stop as much as you, but we have other priorities on this list. Like staying alive." I never thought I would agree with his logic, but I did.

We were all feeling effects of the heat and lack of fluids. If we wanted to reach the end of our destination, we would have to survive to get there. Dan picked Runo back up and said, "Now, let's get moving again." Julie let out a huff of air and got back up.

The sun was about to fall below the horizon, and all we had seen was the ash covered ground. There wasn't even one randomly placed dead tree. You could see in the ashes where we were dragging our feet beneath us. How much longer could we last, and how much further could we go?

That was when Murucho stopped and said, "Do you guys hear that?" We all stopped and remained quiet as we searched for what he heard. Dan looked at him and said, "That was probably my stomach. I'm on the verge of starving here." Murucho shook his head.

"No. It wasn't your stomach. It sounded like….Water. And I think it was coming from over there." He pointed towards a small mound in the flat landscape. With the possible promise of water, we all hurried over to slope. When we reached the top, all of us stopped and stared at what was placed before us. There was a large lake, and a city.

_Alice_

I couldn't believe what we were looking at. Out here, miles away from the only civilization we knew of, there were other people that had made it as long as we had. Julie's eyes were huge and she squealed, "There's water! There's water!" She then barreled down the hill towards the city.

Runo, who was weak from dehydration, mustered the strength to yell, "Julie, get back here!" We all started to hurry after her, not knowing if the people here would be accepting of outsiders. I heard Dan ask Murucho, "Is this the place on the map?"

Murucho shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know, but it's the only place we've so far, so I'm guessing it is. If not, then oh well. We can at least can some water and possibly some rest." Shun and I were lagging behind our group. I asked him, "Did you think that there would be any other people out in the Wastelands?"

He turned to me and said, "I doubted it, but Christina said she came from somewhere else in the Wastelands, so I had no other choice but to believe it." I had forgotten how Christina wasn't from Shun's home, or the City. None of us still knew where she came from, and probably never would. Heck, she could have been from here.

When we got closer to the city, we saw that houses, like the ones back home, were up on five foot high stilts and placed out in the water. Further out in the lake, there were more little buildings that were actually floating in the water.

They had, what seemed like, an intricate walkway system from building to building. Small rowboats were cutting through the water, the people in them pushing them along to get from one place to another. Another thing that caught my eye, was a lush patch of green on the other side of the lake.

Out in the water along the bank, was some kind of plant that they were growing. It was long, and moved with the waves. I heard Runo say, "This place is amazing." There was a chorus of agreements with her. "Hey! Who are you people?" We all turned around and saw a group of about seven guys walking towards us.

They were big, muscular people who easily dwarfed all of us. Their shirts were dirtied and torn, and one guy actually had a hook stuck in his arm. Fresh blood was seeping out of the wound, but he didn't seem to mind it one bit. Dan walked up to them and started to speak, but Murucho stopped him and took over.

It was probably for the best. Murucho was much better at talking with people than Dan, and these guys weren't the type Dan needed to mouth off to. "We don't mean any trouble. You see, we've been traveling through the Wastelands for a long time, and came across this place."

One of the big brutes stepped forward. His face had a shaggy beard growing on it, and he smelled of lake and fish. "Why are you lot foolish enough to go through the Wastelands? Only true idiots and the desperate do that," he said gruffly.

Murucho laughed nervously and said, "Well, we are desperate. Back home, there are some, how may I put this, bad things going on. And if we stayed, all of us would probably have been killed." The huge man stared out our little friend, and raised an eyebrow. "You say bad things are happening?" Murucho nodded slowly. The man stroked his beard and turned to his buddies. "Do you think?"

They all exchanged looks and shrugged their broad shoulders. I looked over at Shun, who just shrugged as well. What did they think? Murucho regained their attention and said, "All we need right now is some food, water, and maybe a place to stay."

The bearded man turned to his friends again, and they gathered. Whispers rose from their group, but I couldn't distinguish anything of what they were saying. It all blended together in strange words that made no sense. The group broke and turned back to us.

The man with the beard said, "You lot are more than welcome to stay. I'll go ahead and get the formalities out of the way. I'm Brunswick. This here, is Marquis." Marquis, the guy with the fishhook arm, waved at us. The rest were introduced to us as well. We went ahead and got our names out of the way, and Brunswick told Marquis and Val, a guy who had a large scar down his left eye, to take us to one of the empty houses they had.

We were escorted around the lake, and to one of the houses on stilts. Val unlocked the door and Marquis said, "Make yourselves comfortable. Come to the boat dock at dark. That's when dinner is. If you're late, don't complain about not getting anything to eat."

The sound of food was so intoxicated to me, and apparently, to everyone else as well. They closed the door and left us alone. In the house, there were enough beds for everyone and a bathroom. It made have looked like one of the houses back home, but it was much nicer and sturdier.

I walked over to the window and pulled back the blue curtain. There was a nice view of the lake that was turned orange by the setting sun. Shun walked up beside me and said, "You think the Officials are anywhere near here?" I shrugged and told him, "It took us nearly all day to find this place, so I would guess it would take them all night. Besides, they have no clue which direction we went."

I turned and leaned my back against the window. I saw that Runo was laying down in one of the beds; Dan was sitting next to her. Murucho was looking over the map, and Julie was at the sink and washing dirt from her arms. I glanced back out the window and saw the sun was almost completely below the horizon.

"I say we go on and find that boat dock thing so we don't miss out on whatever food they have." Julie tilted her head to the side and asked, "Why? It's not dark yet." I stepped away from the window and told her, "Because, we have no clue where anything is here, and I don't think any of us want to pass up a chance for food just because we couldn't find where they're eating at."

Everyone looked at each other, then nodded their heads in agreement. We left our little house, walking down the steps that returned back to the ground. Whenever we saw somebody, we quickly asked them where the boat dock was. A couple of the people looked at us strangely and kept on walking. But a few stopped and pointed us in the right direction. We thanked them and hurried to the dock.

Before we could even see it, the smell of food hit us, sending our stomachs on a growling rampage. The dock was visible thanks to a large fire that was burning. When we walked up to the place, everyone grew silent and stared. We were strangers in their world, so it was expected that they would stare at us.

I saw Brunswick waving over at us, a large spread of food was on a table in front of us. The moment we all saw it, we rushed over there and stared at it as if it were going to run away. Brunswick laughed and said, "You lot look hungry. Go on, help yourselves."

All around us were groups of people sitting on logs that had a small fire going in the middle of their circles. We all found an empty area, and sat in it. I sat down beside Shun on one of the logs; we were the only ones who sat there. Runo and Dan sat beside each other, as did Julie and Murucho.

Brunswick came strolling over with several cups. He passed them around and said, "Can't have any of you falling over from dehydration now, can we?" Runo guzzled the water down, and Brunswick happily got her more. When she told him that she got her fill, he sat down on the empty log that was in our circle.

My plate, which once had fish and rice on it, was now clean. In fact, all of our plates were clean. Brunswick smiled and said, "Is everyone full?" We all nodded and gave him a satisfied smile. He laughed and said, "Good. Now, onto more serious matters…Is it happening?"

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><p>baaaaack! ^^ i had fun at the clinic, although i didnt like waking up so dang early. -.-'' (could have done without that) well, i need to go eat. so, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	27. Time Heals

_Alice_

All of our eyes were locked on Brunswick when he asked us that question. "Is what happening?" Murucho asked the burly man. The fire in the middle of our group danced around with the light breeze that blew it around. Without making a sound, Marquis stepped out from the shadows and stood behind Brunswick. He said, "The cleansing. Has it started?" I was surprised. How did they know about the cleansing that was taking place back in the City, which was miles and miles away from this place?

"How do you know about that?" I asked without realizing it. Brunswick stroke his beard and said to himself, "So it is true." How had word of the travesty taking place back home, reached this place that nobody even knew existed? The man with the scar on his left eye, Val, approached our group as well.

He took a seat next to Brunswick, while Marquis continued to stand. Our bearded friend told us, "We've long been expecting the day that the cleansing happened. After the nuclear war destroyed much of the Earth, our group of survivors found this lake and made it our home. But not two months after we had settled in, a man came walking into our city, carrying word of a mass killing that would happen a long time from then. He said when it happened, a group of people would come here first and get us out of harm's way before the Officials could show up and kill us as well."

He cleared his throat and continued to speak. "This was way before any of us were born, but the story has been passed down from generation to generation in order to make sure everyone stays informed and ready for that day. When we saw you lot, we assumed that you were the people that man was talking about from all those years ago. So, are you?"

There was a hint of desperation in his voice. He wanted to know, but I wasn't sure how we should answer him. If we were the people that this man told them about all those years ago, then we didn't know. All we had was a map that told us where to go next. It wasn't like we had a meeting and decided to become the bringers of safety; we could hardly keep ourselves alive, so how did they expect us to save an entire city of people?

"I don't know if we were the people mentioned in your story, but we were fortunate enough to leave the City before the Officials got a hold of us. Some people we knew gave us a map that we needed to follow to get to safety, but that's all they told us," said Murucho while he dug the map out and handed it to Brunswick.

The man took it and unfolded it, holding it towards the light of the fire so he could see it in the dark. His finger traced along the path that was drawn out for us to follow. "The man had mentioned that all the towns that had been created by the survivors of the war, would be at risk when the cleansing happened, and that the group of people would have to stop at each of those places and get those people out before the Officials could find them."

Murucho took the map back and put it away in his pocket. I didn't know what to think of all of this. The map was nothing more than a directional tool for us to use, right? The stops along the way were to make sure we didn't die out in the Wastelands.

Or, at least, that's what I thought they were for. Was it possible that there were some things that weren't mentioned to us when we left the City? What if we really were the people mentioned in Brunswick's story? If we were, then why us? Brunswick looked at us with serious eyes.

"That map is telling you where to go and who to help next. I just know it." We all exchanged looks with one another; none of us knew what to think about this. We just thought that we were being helped. The thought that we were being sent out into the Wastelands to help others, never once crossed my mind.

"Well, I don't know if we're really the people that you're talking about, but that doesn't mean we can't help you," I told them. It was true. We had a map that told us exactly where we needed to go to get to safety. So, why should we leave these people behind and let them go up against the Officials by themselves?

Brunswick nodded and stood up from the log he had been sitting on. "Very good. It's getting late, and I'm sure you lot are tired from your travels. You all need rest. We can finish discussing this tomorrow." He, Marquis, and Val turned and walked off.

That was when I noticed that almost all of the people that had been sitting around us and eating, were gone. Their fires were still going, but nobody was around to occupy them.

_Shun_

After that strange conversation with Brunswick and his pals, we took their advice and went back to the house that they were allowing us to stay in. The walk back was quiet; nobody mentioned about what the man said back at the dock. A wind blew from the lake, bringing to us the smell of water and mud.

It was so much different here than what I was used to seeing. There was actually life in this place. The people weren't struggling to live or suffering. It was almost taboo for me. We walked up the steps and returned back to the house. It was just as we left it.

Each one of us took a bed and laid down. My body let out a thankful sigh of relief now that it could finally lay down. I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. One oil lamp hung in the center of the room, a small and tiny fire flickering from the oil chamber.

Dan reached up and turned it off, then retreated to his bed and laid down. Now, darkness fell over the entire house, the only light coming from what little of the moon that was in the sky that night. I let my eyes close, thinking about how nice it was to be able to sleep on something other than ash.

I rolled over onto my side and faced the wall. No matter how tired my body was, it felt like my mind wasn't going to let me sleep. I had been suppressing my thoughts all day, and they were now screaming to be let out. I didn't want to though. I knew what they were about, and I had made it my goal to leave all that behind me.

_Alice_

For some reason, I woke up during the night. It wasn't from a nightmare or anything like that. Something had just told me to get up. I sat up in my bed and looked around the room. Everyone was still asleep, but my eyes stopped on the bed that Shun had taken. It was empty.

I started to look around the room, but only saw my sleeping friends. _I have an idea of where he is._ I tossed the covers off of me and slid out of my bed. Quietly, I padded towards the door and walked down the steps. A cool breeze hit me, one that could only come from the waters of the lake. When I was at the base of the stairs, I began to look around for the missing Shun.

The half-full moon provided me with enough light, so I could see whatever I was looking at. Beside the house, I heard the plopping noise of something being thrown into water. I followed it and found Shun sitting down in the sand and staring out into the lake. He didn't seem to hear me walking up to him from behind, because when I said his name, he jumped.

"Oh, it's you, Alice," he said when he finally registered who I was. "Yeah. I woke up and saw you were gone. What are you doing out here?" I asked, taking a seat next to him in the sand. He held a rock in his hand, kind of like the ones he was throwing into the Wastelands before we left his home, and he tossed it into the water in front of him. It made the plunking noise as it hit the surface and drifted to the bottom of the lake. "I couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts were keeping me up."

I sighed, thinking we were past this by now. But I knew that Shun would never be able to truly leave his old home behind. It would always haunt him in his thoughts. Thanks to the moonlight, I was able to see a fish swimming around near the surface of the water. When a small bug touched the water next to it, the fish swam back down into the dark depths of the lake.

I didn't know how to help him anymore though. I had told him all I could, but none of it seemed to have helped him come to terms with what was happening. There was nothing else I could do. It was up to him to put away the demons that were plaguing him. But I couldn't help but think that he would never be able to do that. I hated the thought of him living out the rest of his life, tormented by the dwelled on thoughts of his old home and what had happened to it.

I stared out into the water, and watched the reflection of the moon dance in the ripples and waves. It was so distorted compared to the actual thing in the sky. _Like all of us._ We may have looked normal and fine, but we were all actually distorted in some way.

Especially now with all of the things happening. The past events only added to the flaws we had. I glanced at Shun. He was still staring off into the distance. There was no telling at what though. "Shun, I've done all I can to try and help you get through this, but it's up to you to get through the rest of it." Shun lowered his head and sighed. "I know. I just don't know if I can."

Doubt. We all had it right now, so it wasn't shocking to find out that Shun did as well. He was as much of a victim to all of this as we were. "I know you can. It may take some time, but you will heal." I leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his cheek and told him, "You can stay out here if you think it will do you some good, but I'm going back to bed."

I got up, brushing the sand off of my clothes, and walked back to the house. Shun wasn't going to get any better if I kept trying to heal him. I needed to be there for support, and that was it. I walked back into the house and returned to my bed. Now, I felt like Shun did; all the thoughts running through my mind.

But they were put to ease when I heard the door open again. I looked up and saw Shun going over to his bed and laying down. He covered himself up with his blankets, and I was able to see his chest starting to slow as he fell asleep. I smiled. Him sleeping meant he was trying to fight through his thoughts. It was a start, but proof that time heals.

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><p>i dont want to go to school tomorrow. -.-'' i'd have to deal with the French teacher that i don't like (and for very justifiable reasons) well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	28. Danger Follows

_Alice_

My eyes opened to find myself still in the bed I fell asleep in. For some reason, I guess I was expecting to wake up back home, in my own bed and room. I sighed, pushing the impossible to the side, and looked around the room. All of the beds were empty, and nobody else was in the house except for me. Confused, I climbed out from my warm covers and stepped outside to see if I could find them.

Sure enough, I saw Runo and Julie back at the boat dock; they seemed to be helping to clean up from what I could tell. My eyes searched for the rest of the group. I spotted Dan and Murucho talking with Brunswick by one of the many fishing piers. Last night we had learned a lot; more than I was happy about. Little did we know, our group was predicted to show up at this city.

It wasn't just a coincidence that the map took us here. It wasn't just a stop for food, water, or shelter. No. It was to help these people and get them out of harm's way before the Officials delivered the same fate as the people in the City and in Shun's home. But I couldn't understand why. Why was it this place first? And why would the Officials do anything to these people, when they probably didn't even know they existed.

My mind shifted from those antagonizing questions, to the question of where Shun was. I scanned the entire lake from the place where we had talked last night. My eyes finally found him further down the sandy bank. He was watching a group of people in a boat out in the water. The little man-operated boat bounced with the waves of the water as they pulled in a small net filled with fish.

I walked up to Shun and said, "There you are." He glanced at me, gave me a small smile, and went back to looking out at the lake. "The others were wondering when you were going to wake up," he said, still keeping his gaze towards the water. I hadn't thought I was that tired, but I apparently was.

"I don't blame them," I replied back. Small waves lapped at the bank of sand in front of us. It washed up plants and shells that were underneath the water's surface. Neither of us said much more; it was nice to take in the serene sounds of the lake, and to forget that we were in danger. The only thing that lifted us from our trace, was the cursing of somebody behind us.

Shun and I both turned around to see Marquis trudging through the sand, carrying a net full of fish; that was this city's specialty. That, and rice, which we found out that was what those plants growing in the water of the lake was. "Everything okay?" Shun asked him.

Marquis growled, still cursing at the flopping net. The fishy contents smelled, and I wished that he would continue on his way so I didn't have to breathe in the stench. He didn't seem to mind it though. If it did, then he was showing now signs of it. "Yeah, everything's fine. It's Val's fault for not showing up and helping me with this. Damn freeloader is probably taking a nap somewhere," Marquis said, then growled.

I didn't know if he was talking to us, or himself. It was kind of hard to tell. Shun was trying to hold back a laugh, and he quickly regained his composer before the huge man noticed. "Do you want any help?" Shun asked, pointing to the mess of fish. Marquis shook his head and told us, "Nah, I got it. But thank you for the offer."

He swung the fish back over his shoulder and continued on his way. I swore he said something like, _"Val, if I find you, I'm shoving one of these fish down your throat."_ I blinked a couple of times, not sure if I should be worried about the safety of Val, or if I should worry about the fish.

Shun raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, that was….Interesting." I nodded in agreement. Interesting wasn't exactly the word that came to my mind. It was more along the lines of…..Well, I didn't have anything else to call it. So, Shun's word choice seemed to work out the best. The two of us hung around the bank of the lake, not making anything greater than small-talk.

I stopped every now and then, and took off my shoes so the water could run up the bank and rush across my feet. This place was so peaceful, and I wished that I had grown up here instead of the City. I glanced at Shun, and knew he was thinking the same thing.

This lake, this city, was a paradise when you compared it to where we came from. We had made our way towards the floating part of the city. I was amazed how they had made their small buildings float on top of the water. Shun and I walked along the floating walkway, passing by people that were leaving some of the buildings. We quickly found out that this floating part of the city, was what we considered the Business District back home.

Shopping, selling, trading, and everything else was going on. People were selling fish and water dwelling plants from boats along the side of the floating walkway. One woman was paying a man from one of the boats. She handed over her money, and he handed over a bag of small fish.

The way things worked here, it was so much different from the City. People could go where they wanted with no fear of getting in trouble with ravenous Officials. It looked like they had no fear at all. The floating walkway moved with the waves, and that was the only thing I didn't like about this place. Because I could not get my balance at all. And this resulted in one careless footstep that slipped off the slick side of the walkway.

Out of instinct, I tried to keep myself from falling into the water below me. Which meant, that I grabbed onto Shun to save myself. But he wasn't prepared for my plummet towards the water, and I ended up taking him with me. I heard our splash for only a second, then it was replaced with the rush of water in my ears. Immediately, I pushed myself back up the surface; Shun and I had both come up and the same time.

He shook the water from his short, black hair, then looked at me with a glare. But he couldn't contain the smile on his face, and we both laughed, not even noticing the people gathered around above us to see if we were alright.

The woman who was buying the fish from the man in the boat, who we later found out was named Nonia, helped us out of the water. I kind of didn't want to get out. That was as close to a bath as I had gotten in days, and the water felt good on my dirt caked hair.

The quick dip would have to be enough for now. Even though we kept telling the concerned people that we were fine, they insisted on making sure. Once their inspection was over with, they finally laughed and joked around for a moment or two.

Then, everything went back to the way it was before we fell into the water. Shun and I made a beeline for the solid ground; I almost fell in several more times on the way back to land. By the time we had left the floating buildings behind, I was starting to dry.

I hated the way my clothes were sticking to me, and Shun seemed to be the same way. We were wringing the excess water out of our clothing when Dan and the others walked up to us. Murucho raised an eyebrow and said, "Took a little swim?" I laughed and told him, "More like fell in."

They all laughed for a couple of seconds, then slowly stopped. "Well, we were coming over here to let you guys know that it's almost time to eat, and that Brunswick wants to complete last night's discussion," Murucho told us while pushing up his glassed. It was already time to eat? I looked up at the sky and saw the setting sun. _Today went by quick._ I told them, "Alright. We'll be there in a little bit."

_Alice_

Once Shun and I had gotten most of the water out of our clothes, and dried our hair, we hurried to the boat dock. Neither one of us wanted to miss dinner, and we needed to here more about what our game-plan was. We made it just in time to get something to eat; any later, and we might have gone without food for the night. It was some sort of rice and fish soup, but the smell was enough to make my mouth water. It was nice to have a meal every night; not all of us could say that.

All of us were gathered back around the fire, sitting on the logs like last time. Brunswick waited for all of us to finish up our food, and the minute we were done, he spoke. "I know I may not have been entirely clear last night, so if any of you have questions, feel free to ask." I had a few, but I felt like they needed to be solved by myself.

Like, why were all of these other cities involved with the Officials, when they had never seen or dealt with them until now? Why did we have to take all these people with us; not that I didn't want to. They weren't connected with the Officials, so what did they have to worry about? That's when it hit me.

Not with the help of Brunswick or anyone else, but on my own. All of these places marked on the map, would be in danger. Whether we stopped at them or not. We could have gone straight to the mountains and climbed over to whatever waited on the other side, and these people would have still been in danger.

Because, those Officials wouldn't stop until they found us. They would search all over the Wastelands, hunting us, destroying towns to find us, and killing the people when they found out we weren't there. It was our fault that these people were in the line of fire. If we had stayed in the City, faced our fate as it was handed to us, they could have continued on with their lives.

They wouldn't have to give up everything they knew. But all those years ago, we were the ones predicted to come here. We were the ones who were meant to survive the wrath of the Officials. I still didn't know why it was us though. Maybe a slip of fate? A coincidence? Or a fluke?

Brunswick continued to look at us, waiting for any questions we may have. I had solved my own, and wished it had stayed a mystery because reality was only getting worse and worse. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Alright. Looks like I explained everything well enough to you lot last night. You're all more than welcome to turn in or do as you please."

Brunswick stood up and left us all in our little circle around the fire. Julie glanced at everyone and said, "I guess we all go to back to the house and go to bed." We had nothing else to do, so bed sounding like the best idea to us. All of us walked back to the house that was loaned to us during our stay.

The moon, that was half-full last night, was now nothing more than a sliver of glowing light. The sky would probably be dark tomorrow. When we made it back to our house, I didn't even noticed that Shun and Dan weren't with us.

_Shun_

I was lagging behind the group as we made our way back to the house we were staying in. None of them seemed to notice, so I remained quiet and allowed my mind to wander. While lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Dan standing in front of me. I almost ran into him, but halted just in time. "What?" I asked in a neutral tone. I had almost enough of him, and I didn't want to see how much more I could take.

I had tried not to let his hate towards Outcasts get to me, but he hadn't cut me a break since we left the City. I looked over him and saw the others were already at the house. They would soon notice our absence, and I could only think about what Alice's reaction would be. She knew good and well about the mutual disagreement between me and Dan. "Don't worry about them. We need to talk," Dan said, pulling my attention away from the others, and back to him.

I could hear it now. He would probably rant on and on about how he didn't like me cause I was an Outcasts and all of that other crap. Sadly, I didn't think I would sit by and let him talk this time. But right when I was about to say something, he caught me off guard with what he had to say. "I know you like Alice," he said without looking at me. My words stopped at my lips, and I blinked in surprise.

"Uh, yeah. What's that got to do with anything?" I was beginning to think that he did like her as much as he liked Runo. But if he had, surely he would have been doing something to keep me away from her. "And I'm fully aware that she likes you back."

He still didn't look at me when he spoke. I was starting to grow annoyed. What was he trying to get at? All he was doing was stating the obvious. "And what does this have to do with anything?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from raising. This time, Dan did turn to look at me.

His eyes were sharp when he said, "Don't think that just because of that I'm going to change my views about you. You're still an Outcast, regardless of what's happening. And Alice is still one of my friends, and the second you do anything to harm her, I'll make sure you wish you hadn't." His voice was harsh enough to make me step back.

"Understood?" he asked. I didn't want to answer him, seeing that he was pretty much threatening me. But I was also in no position to get smart with him. "Yeah, whatever," I replied back, trying to match the coldness behind his voice. I didn't succeed. Dan turned around and started to walk back towards the house.

"That's all I wanted to say." I stood there for a little bit, making sure he was well in front of me before I returned back to the house with the others. I didn't like letting him intimidate me, but he had lived a much better life than me, and was much stronger. In a fight, he would probably win. I hated to admit it, but it was true. I sighed, and made my way back to the house.

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><p>my dearest apologies for not uploading the past two days. monday i was tired and had to straighten my hair (which take a LONG time) and i didnt feel like writing. and yesterday i had a band concert that didnt end till around 9 at night. but i'm back now. :p so, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	29. Soldiers Of The Wastelands

_Shun_

I woke up shortly before dawn. Everyone around me was still sound asleep. So, to keep from waking them, I quietly got out of my bed and snuck from the house. I hadn't had much time to myself since we left, and any time that I had spent on my own, was only because I was so messed up due to being on the run from the Officials. But I had no time to just walk around and enjoy some peaceful silence.

This was an opportunity that I didn't want to pass up. The sun was just starting to peek over the Eastern horizon, painting the sky with the colors of early dawn. Nobody was out on the lake, leaving the water as still as glass. There seemed to be nobody else awake other than me. I made a quick note to try and hurry back to the others before they woke up, and Alice began to wonder where I had vanished to.

_She worries too much about me._ Not that it was a bad thing, I just wasn't used to it. All my life, I had been watching out for mainly myself. So, it was strange to have somebody else looking out for me. The only person who came close to doing that, was Christina.

I exhaled a long breath, reminding myself not to tread back on that sore spot in my mind. I made my way around the lake; towards the side of it that had the rice plants growing in the water. I found it amazing how they were able to cultivate this dead land, while we had hardly any luck of growing grass. Small flies buzzed around from the water. I swatted at them as they tried to fly towards my face.

That was one thing that we hadn't seemed to have left behind; bugs. I left the buzzing water, and continued on my way around the lake. It seemed never-ending. The water spread out to the horizon, and I wondered if this lake existed here before the war, or if it had been made as a result of damages from attacks.

I shuddered at the old memory of what this world went through. All of the stories that had been passed down from one generation of Outcast to the next, came back to my thoughts. I remembered stories that I hadn't heard in years. Like how the war was started.

It was some big altercation between two world powers that hadn't gotten along because of all kinds of reasons; whether it was political, religious, or whatever, we wouldn't exactly know, for it had been lost with time. But the two powers finally had enough of each other, and released their weapons of destruction, dragging the rest of the world along with it.

The other countries didn't want anything to do with the war, but attacking the two major powers was the only thing they could think of in order to make them stop. It only left the world in a crumbled heap of dirt and ash. Once great cities, much larger than the City back in the Wastelands, were flattened by the force of the explosions.

I shook my head, wondering how the people back then could have been so ignorant to not think about the repercussions of their actions. None of this would exist; the death, starvation, and suffering. Well, it was already there back then, but it was nowhere near as bad as it was now.

And if that war hadn't broken out, then maybe we wouldn't have bloodthirsty Officials chasing after us, burning and destroying everything they touched. Dark clouds started to roll in from, what I guessed, was the North. They looked like they were bringing in a rainstorm.

Soon, the rising sun was covered by the ominous clouds, and a somewhat strong wind started to pick up. It wouldn't take that long for the bottom to fall out, and for rain to pour down. Before I got caught in the storm, I hurried back around the lake to return to the house; the others were probably awake by now.

I stopped when I thought I saw somebody out in the Wastelands. On the other side of the hill we went down to come into this city, I could have sworn I saw somebody peering over the top of it, and then vanished. I shrugged it off as a trick of the mind, but something told me it wasn't.

_Alice_

Shun stepped through the door, and was taken off guard when he saw that we were all up, and that Brunswick was standing among us. When I noticed that Shun was gone this morning, I was going to go out and try and find him, but Brunswick's sudden arrival kind of got in the way.

I trusted Shun, but for some reason I felt like he might try and return back to his old home, despite the fact that it was probably gone. That was the reason I kept a close eye on him; I was worried about him. His eyes scanned from Brunswick, then to us and said, "Um, what's going on?"

Murucho was sitting on the edge of his bed and said, "He said he wouldn't start the conversation until all of us were here." Brunswick stroked his beard and said, "And now all of you are, so we can start. I came by here to ask when we are going to leave." I looked around the room.

It was obvious none of us had given that any thought. But there was also something else that was easily readable on our faces; none of us wanted to leave. This place felt safe to us, and we didn't want to abandon it. This was our paradise that we never thought existed.

Brunswick laughed for a moment and said, "Now don't tell me you lot didn't think of when we were leaving." He paused for a moment, looking at all of our blank faces. "You really didn't…." Brunswick didn't sound impressed by our lack of preparedness. Murucho said sheepishly, "It kinda slipped our minds."

The short blonde gave him a nervous smile, hoping that the bearded man would buy our lie. Brunswick sighed and said, "Well, we can't stay forever. The longer we're here, the sooner the Officials will arrive, and I don't want to be around for that. How about we start to make preparations to leave in the morning?"

He waited for our response, which he didn't leave us much choice other than to agree. We all nodded slowly, showing that we understood the plan that had been placed out in front of us. A boom of thunder roared outside, and I could hear the rain starting to pound against the Earth. Thanks to our little window, I could see how dark the storm had made it outside; it looked like night.

"I better get going before the storm gets any worse," he said, prepping himself to run out into the rain. There was a sound outside that didn't match the sound made by thunder or rain. It was like a hissing noise, and it was loud enough to be heard through the rain.

All of us ran outside, instantly getting soaked by the storm. We searched the sky for the source of the noise, but only saw the black storm clouds. Then, the sky was illuminated by a small ball of shooting red light. _A flare, _I thought as it flew under the clouds and traveled over the lake. Then, a long line of Officials appeared over the hill, guns and other weapons in hand. They found us.

_Shun_

So I hadn't been crazy when I thought I saw somebody over the hill. It had been an Official, spying on this place for any signs of us. A sick feeling grew in my stomach when I realized I had been the only one out. Most likely, they all knew who I was, and the moment that spy saw me, he had everything he needed to send in the Officials. It was my fault they found us.

There must have been every Official from the City in that line. The familiar rifles in their hands, brought back a phantom pain in the temple of my head where they hit me. Brunswick's loud voice only made the ghost pain worse. "We need to get out of here!" he shouted, his voice carrying across the entire lake.

People emerged from their homes, running with their families as they hurried to get out the danger zone before shots were fired. I turned around the Murucho, who I remembered had the map, and yelled at him, "Start leading these people to the next stop! Take the others with you!"

I motioned to all of our little group. The wind made the rain fall at a sharp angle, and it felt like little needles sticking into my exposed arms. Alice shouted back at me, "What about you?" I looked at her, then turned to face the advancing Officials. "I have some unfinished business to take care of," I told her, but not loud enough for her to hear over the pounding rain.

I turned on my heel and started to run towards where the action was happening. I could hear their faint voices yelling at me from behind, but they were drowned out by the sounds of rain and gunfire. Marquis and Val had joined in the fight at some point, but they weren't holding up very well against the three Officials that had cornered them.

Without being noticed, I knocked one of their attackers to the ground, giving enough of a distraction for Marquis and Val to gang up on the other two Officials. The three Officials laid on the rain-soaked ground, all of them unconscious. Marquis was holding his wrist and said, "Good thing you showed up when you did."

Val added in with, "Yeah, who would have thought that you had any fight in ya?" I would need a lot more, because all around us, were more and more fights taking place. The Officials, thanks to their guns, were winning against the people who stayed behind to defend their home.

Whatever fight I had in me, wasn't enough to go up against the carnage around us. I saw that our group, and the other people of this place, were gaining reasonable distance from the fighting. A little bit longer, and they would all be out of harm's way, given cover from the blackening storm.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized that we were being attacked by another group of Officials. _They just keep coming._ Marquis and Val were holding their own, and when I tried to help them, I was knocked to the ground. I fell against the muddy earth below, and looked up to see an Official standing over me.

He looked familiar, and I quickly remembered him as the one who had hit me in the head with the rifle. It took me a moment to recover from the hit he had dealt me this time, but the moment I regained my focus, I was looking back down the barrel of that same gun.

Fear halted any movement I tried to make, and I sat there, waiting to be shot. Flashbacks of my first encounter with this Official, overran my thoughts. All I could remember, was this same fear as I waited for my life to be ended. Then, Marquis returned the favor I had given them, and knocked this Official out as well.

I stared at the unconscious man laying in front of me, still unable to move from my recent brush with death. Marquis and Val both picked me. One of them said, "Come on, we have to get out of here." Everything was in slow motion as I looked around. The people who stayed behind, were clearly losing.

The three of us, were sneaking out of the battle so we could joined the ones who did escape without any injuries. Should I have been feeling any dishonor, or should I have been grateful that I still had my life? I didn't know, and I was too much in shock to try and figure it out.

So, I allowed Marquis and Val to help carry me along the same path as the others went, the three of us hoping to catch up with before the Officials could.

* * *

><p><em>chapter title based off the song Soldiers Of The Wastelands by DragonForce<em>. announcement, there will be no upload saturday, because i have more jazz band stuff that day (wish me luck because i have a solo). ah, well, let's see what else is new. i am now the one and only marching bari sax for our band. XP yay! -does Dobby dance-...that's about it. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	30. Phantom Pains

_Alice_

I stopped walking, allowing people to pass by me, and stared at the most recent place we had left. Little kids crying blended in with the explosions of gunfire behind us, only making them wail more and more. I wanted to cover my ears, to block out the sounds of despair, but I just let my arms hang at my sides.

Dan and the others were cutting their way through the sea of people, going against the flow of traffic. Runo asked me, "Alice, why'd you stop? We need to keep moving." Another flare shot up into the sky from where the lake was. They should have known why I stopped; I had allowed Shun to run off into that bloodbath when I could have stopped him. He might have been angry at me for taking him away from his 'payback' but he would have gotten over it.

But I had let him go, and now he could be dead and I wouldn't know. There were so many Officials when we left, and only more could have joined into the fight. They would have easily outnumbered Shun and anyone else who stayed behind to fight. I found myself speaking without knowing it. "I want to go back." I felt a hand take my wrist, and I turned around to see that Dan had done it.

"Alice, I'm sure you do want to go back and find him, but there's no point in it. Either he's alive or not, it makes no difference. We're on the move again, and he probably won't catch up with us. Going back there would only put you in danger, and I'm not going to allow something bad to happen to one of my friends."

I stared at him, the rain pelting on our faces; I wasn't sure if there were any tears on my cheeks or not. I became irrational, not thinking due to the shock of everything. "You don't want to go back for him because he's an Outcast."

It didn't matter if what Dan was telling me was the truth, or if it had any justification behind his words. I wasn't thinking clearly, and it was too much of a crucial time for that to be happening. Dan rolled his eyes and said, "I could really care less about that. I'm just trying to keep you from doing something stupid."

I snatched my wrist from his hand, prepping myself to yell words at him that I would probably regret. Dan was just trying to look out for me like he did all of us. My rant was cut off when somebody behind us shouted. "Hey! Wait up for us!"

We all turned to see Marquis and Val, who were helping to carry somebody; due to the darkness, I couldn't make out who it was until they were closer. They had Shun with them. At that moment, all my anger at Dan went away when I saw that Shun was okay.

All of us ran towards the three of them. Marquis and Val were a little beat up, but from what I could tell, Shun wasn't hurt. Then why was he out cold? Marquis was panting when he said, "It's a madhouse back there. I hated that we had to sneak out, but we were getting beaten to a pulp."

The rain was starting to cease, but the sky was still dark with the clouds of the storm. The gunfire was starting to become less frequent, and it was only a matter of time before the Officials were on our trails again. Val noticed this as well because he said, "I suggest getting out of here before we have to face them again."

We all agreed and started after the large group of people that had continued to go on without us. In no time, we caught up with them. All of us were soaked to the bone, and a couple of people were shuddering from the cold that was attacking their wet bodies.

I stared at the mass of people that had been added to our small group of only six. Now, we numbered in the hundreds, and I could only fret about the hassle and danger a large group brought along with it. This many people, would only slow down progress that we needed to make.

And it made us more vulnerable to attack. I felt horrible for it, but I wished we didn't have to take them with us. It was the morally right thing to do, but when you thought about it, Officials were killing us because they wanted to. So, where were the morals, and why did they matter anymore? But we had to keep them.

If we didn't, then we would turn out no differently than the Officials, and history would repeat itself once again. Marquis and Val were still carrying Shun, who had still yet to wake up. I was starting to grow worried. What had happened that had knocked him out like this?

Dan yelled up at Murucho, "We need to stop and take a rest!" I looked at the people that we were now taking with us. They were scared, confused, cold, and tired. Shelter sounded wonderful to them, just as it did to me and the others. But where in this empty stretch of land would we find a place that was safe from the elements and Officials?

There was nowhere like that. Our only choice was to rest out in the Wastelands. And to add onto the list of worse things, it was still drizzling rain. It probably wouldn't last that much longer, but it would still make things inconvenient. Murucho then came running through the crowd of people, expression of joy on his face.

"I think I found a place to rest for the night!" All of us looked at one another, then I turned to look out in the Wastelands. Where was Murucho talking about? All I saw was flat land with nothing else in sight. "Where is it, Murucho?" I asked, wondering if the short boy had gone crazy.

He motioned with his hand and said, "Follow me." We did as he said, and he brought us to a hole in the ground. It was big enough that Dan would be able to fit inside with ease, and looked like it had been dug out by a large animal. Julie raised her brows and asked, "Uh, how are all of us going to fit in that tiny little space?"

The people from the lake were standing around behind. Some of them were chatting as if nothing had happened, while others were mourning those who stayed behind to fight. Life was going on for some, but for others, not so much. Murucho pointed to the hole in the ground, and when he spoke, he sounded like a teacher.

"I went down there when I first found it. It's a lot bigger than you think. There's enough room for all of our group to fit. It might just take a while to get everyone down there." It was all we had, so what other choice did we have? We started to heard people down into the underground cavern, and I felt sorry for those who didn't like tight spaces or to be crowded around other people.

_It's either this or let the Officials get you._ The last of the people slid down into the opening, leaving me, Marquis, Val, Shun, and the others standing on the surface. Then, we all made our descent down into the cave. Murucho had been right about the space; there was plenty of it, and then some.

I looked up at the roof of the underground structure, thinking that it had to have been made by rushing water. Perhaps before the war, it had been an underground river. Marquis and Val laid Shun down on the smooth, wet ground of the cave.

They both leaned back, and I heard their spines popping with relief of no longer having to carry Shun around. Val even made the comment of, "He's heavy for his stature." I ignored their complaining, and knelt down beside Shun. This was the closest I had gotten to him since we left the lake, and I wanted to make sure that he wasn't seriously injured.

I didn't see any visible wounds on him. He groaned in his unconscious state, and I turned to Marquis and Val. "What's wrong with him?" I asked, hoping they could shine some light on what happened back at the lake. Marquis was rubbing his back when he said, "He's probably in shock. Poor kid had a gun stuck to his head and probably saw his life flash before his eyes. He's been like that since we got out of there, though."

I thought back to in the Courtyard, and how Shun almost had a bullet put into his skull. He had come close, but it was only a scare tactic used by a deranged Official. Brunswick broke through a wall of people and told us, "Everyone that came along with us seems to be alright. A little shaken up, but they're all okay."

It was clear he hadn't added Shun into the equation because Shun was a little more than 'shaken up.' The woman who had helped pull Shun and I out of the lake, walked up to us once she made it through the crowd of people. She looked like she had been crying, and I wondered if somebody had stayed behind at the lake, and hadn't made it out. She held something in her arms, which I made out as a blanket.

"We brought a few and wondered if any of you need one." I looked at Shun, who was starting to shiver from being on the cold ground; we all were shivering now. I nodded and said, "We'll take one and make due." She handed the blanket over to me, and walked back through the crowd, not even giving me time to thank her.

When I unfolded the blanket, I realized that there were two of them. At first, I thought that she had accidentally given us an extra, but when I thought about it, I realized that she had meant to give us these two. I took one of them, and used it to cover Shun up so he wouldn't freeze to death in his sleep.

The other one would be shared by us since it seemed big enough. It was on no used to us right then because we were all still standing around in the cave. So, we rested it on a rock that was off of the wet ground. As my feet began to tire, I sat at the base of the cave wall and the ground.

I let out a yawn, and started to let my eyes grow heavy. I tried to force myself to stay awake for a little while longer, but my efforts were futile. As I started to drift off, sounds started to fade off one by one.

First, it was the sound of people talking. The, it was the sound of their feet shuffling along the ground. The last sound to go away when I fell asleep, was the sound of water dripping from the roof of the cave.

_Shun_

It was like being snapped out of some kind of trance when I finally came to. It took a moment for my brain to catch up, but when it did, I started to freak out. I was somewhere else, and not back at the lake like I remembered. I was in a cave; all the people that had escaped from the lake were in there as well. They were all sleeping soundly, and it seemed like I was the only one awake.

Panic swept over me as I tried to figure out how I had gotten here. I slowly started to recall being carried by Marquis and Val. _They must have carried me all the way here because I don't remember walking._ I turned my head and saw Alice leaning against the wall, her eyes shut and breathing slow as she slept.

Occasionally, her body shivered then relaxed. That's when I noticed how cold it was in the cave, and that I had a blanket draped over me. I felt like I didn't need it any longer, and draped it over her. The shivers stopped as the warm blanket smothered the cold on her.

I leaned my back against the cave wall, and stared up at the roof of the cave. Water dripped off of stalagmites, falling to the ground below. I winced in pain and brought my hand up to my temple. Images of my second run-in with the same Official, danced through my thoughts, and the horrible phantom pains returned once again.

Each round of pain seemed to make my head pound, and the room spin. Why were they coming back now? These pains hadn't bothered me since we left the City. Had that encounter with my old assailant triggered them once again as a consolation prize with the memories?

The pain, as quickly as it had come, felt like it drained out of my body, leaving my brain feeling numb. I let out a sigh of relief, enjoying it now before they could return. What if something inside my head had been permanently damaged, and those pains would come unexpectedly for the rest of my life?

As some kind of sick reminder of the kind of world that I had been a part of for my whole life? I hoped not, thinking that I would be unable to tolerate that kind of pain for that long. My disoriented mind wanted to sleep, and I didn't deny it of rest.

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><p>remember, no update tomorrow due to a jazz festival i have to go to. <strong>attention all <em>The End Of Our World <em>fans!** **there is a poll up on my profile that is mandatory for you all to check out! it concerns the title for the sequel to my zombie fic that will be debuting late September/October**. It involves the title for the story (since i have so many of them as ideas) so, i'm leaving it up to the people. (for the most part. this is not exactly a democracy, more like a dictatorship as my band director would put it.) so, **check it out and let me hear your opinions.** read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	31. The Frozen North

_Alice_

We were on the move again before sunrise; somebody had made the point it would be safer for us to travel in what little darkness we had left. I had no idea how much further we had traveled, but out in the endless Wastelands, it felt like such a long distance.

Although, it probably wasn't nothing more than a couple of miles. This kind of landscape could trick you like that if you weren't careful. Thanks to the storm from last night, the wind had picked up an immense amount of speed, and was carrying a bitter chill along with it.

I rubbed my arms to try and warm myself up. The few people that were smart enough to bring their blankets with them, were already wrapped up inside of the warmth. I hated to sound greedy, but I wished that I still had that blanket that I woke up with this morning.

I knew Shun had given it to me at some point during the night, and I probably would have turned it down if it hadn't been so cold in the cave. That, and if I was awake when he covered me up with it. Our large group was starting to huddle closer and closer together in order to stay warm and protected from the ash that the wind was kicking up.

Murucho was way up in the front of the group, trying to hold the map in the wind so we could stay on course. He hadn't said anything about where we might have been, or when we would arrive at our next stop. So, while he searched around the area for any landmarks, our caravan stopped to rest.

We would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been for the wind. I sat down in the ash, facing my back towards the wind so I could protect my face from flying debris. Shun sat down next to me, and we both stared out at the direction we all had just come from.

"Do you think they're closer this time?" he asked grimly. We had about three days worth of safety before the Officials showed up at the lake, and that was only because we got out of dodge quickly. They were probably much, much closer this time. All because we had let foolish ideas enter out thoughts. We thought that we would be safe at the lake, and allowed the threat to slip from our thoughts.

I replied back, "They probably are." It was obvious that we couldn't get comfortable at our next stop. We needed to get there, take the people with us, and keep on going. What happened at the lake, could not happen again. A few feet across from us, a woman was trying to calm her crying child.

I felt sorry for the poor kid. He was going through something that he should have never had to. My friends and I had faced this kind of harsh reality much longer than any of these people, and we were used to it. But not quite used to the fact that the people who had once been our protectors, were now trying to kill us.

We were still trying to adjust to that. Murucho placed two of his fingers in his mouth, and let out an ear piercing whistle. Then, he cupped his hands over his mouth and said loudly, "Time to start moving again!" People groaned as they got up from the ground.

They wanted to stay and rest, but they couldn't. Not until we made our rounds and over the mountain. Once we reached there, they could rest all they wanted. I did have a new confidence in Murucho, though. He wouldn't have us moving so soon unless he found where we were on the map.

The shuffling of feet filled the air, and ash floated up from the ground. I figured that it hadn't been disturbed since the time of the war. The ash clouds lingered no higher than our knees, and the gray dust was sticking to legs and pants, coating them in the color of the Wastelands.

My purple dress, was no exception. It was torn and covered in ash. I couldn't complain though. A trip like this, one should always expect this to happen. I was only upset because it was the only clothing I had with me, and I hated the feeling of being trapped in dirty clothes.

Shun didn't seem to mind it. Then again, he had been in this kind of terrain all his life. The torn clothes, were nothing new to him. A few people ahead of us, I saw an elderly man fall to the ground. A woman, about the same age as him, was standing over him, panic on her face.

Two other people, who were much younger, tried to wake the old man up. I figured that they were his children. Shun and I looked at each other, and joined the gathering crowd. I peered over a person's shoulder, and saw the man. His eyes were blank, and his chest wasn't moving or showing any sign of life.

The first person had been claimed by the Wastelands, and more were sure to follow. The elderly would probably start going first since their bodies weren't suited for this kind of stress. Which group would be next, I couldn't predict.

Friends of the old woman, had to drag her away from the dead old man. She didn't struggle against them, but only walked along side them and cried. She knew that this would be the fate that so many would face, and she accepted it. Dan and Julie had joined Shun and I; Murucho and Runo kept on leading the people along. Dan stared down at the body and said, "We can't leave him here."

Julie nodded and said, "Yeah. It wouldn't be right." Dan was about to say something, but Shun cut him off. "No, he means that we can't leave him here because it will let the Officials know we went this way." It was a horrible thought, but this body would be nothing more than a huge sign for the Officials to follow.

Dan nodded and said flatly, "Exactly. We have to move it from our trail. I would say bury it, but we have nothing to dig with." Julie wrinkled her nose up and said, "So we're just going to hide it?" Dan was already starting to pick up the old man's body when he said, "Yup. That's all we can do. Either that, or let the Officials find us again."

Shun and Dan went out a ways to move the body to another location. Julie didn't want to touch the deceased man's body, and I didn't think I would be able to stand doing what they were. Who would have thought that those two would have worked together over something like this? It was kind of disturbing.

Already, this world outside of the City was changing us. The two of them returned and Dan told us, "There. That should throw them off it they find it. Now, we need to catch up with everyone else." Our caravan was far away, and we had to run to catch up with them.

I hoped that nobody else died today. It took too much time to get the body off our path of travel, and it was just too much for me to handle. We finally caught up with the mass of people. As we pushed through them to return to our spot up front, I couldn't help but notice their eyes.

They looked dead and emotionless, almost like the eyes of the Outcasts, but a little more blank. I understood why; they lost everything, and knew they would lose a lot more. The longer the day went on, the colder and colder it got. Then, little flakes started to fall from the gray clouds.

It didn't look like any ash from the Wastelands; it was too white, and cool to the touch. I held out my hand, and let one of the flakes land in the center of my palm. It melted, and turned into water. I had only heard about this kind of event in stories, or at school when I still went. Never did I think I would see it. But here it was. Snow. It was snowing.

_Shun_

I stared up at the sky, looking at the tiny, white objects falling from the clouds. A few of the flakes touched my face and turned to water in a matter of seconds. "What is going on?" I asked, genuinely confused about what was happening to the weather. Alice caught several of the flakes in her hands and said, "It's snow. It happens when it gets cold enough. Or something like that. I don't remember exactly what my teacher told me."

When she told me what it was, I remembered one of the older Outcasts mentioning this kind of phenomenon before. He had said how enough would fall and cover the Earth in several feet of it, but only when it was very cold, and very up North. Were we far enough up North, that it was actually able to snow?

Murucho was looking over the map and said, "I know we haven't gone by our stop. It must still be up ahead." Once we calmed the rest of the confused people, we started to move again. The more we walked, the more snow we encountered. Soon, the ashes on the ground were replaced with the frozen flakes of water.

It was deeper than our ankles, and we slowing us down drastically. Without enough clothing to protect us from the cold, a lot of the people were starting to suffer the dramatic effects of the harsh temperature drop. The sky, no longer gray but black, only made the trek in front of us more terrifying.

Unable to see very much in front, or behind us, I was anxious to know what was around me. Runo was hugging herself tightly in order to stay warm. She yelled over the wailing wind, "Murucho! Are you sure we're on the right track!" The short boy used the map the shield himself from the pelting snow.

"I'm sure we're still going the right way!" he yelled back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw several people drop to the ground. I didn't have to walk over to them to know that they were dead because of the freezing air. Dan shouted at him, "How do you know we haven't gone by it yet! We can't see anything!"

Murucho stared at Dan, and I saw that he was hoping that we hadn't missed our stop. Because if we had, then we would all freeze out here. Several more people dropped onto the ground; we wouldn't have to worry about moving their bodies because the snow was doing the job of covering them up.

Our numbers would dwindle drastically if we stayed in this snow storm, which they already were. Through the howling wind, I picked up the sound of something that reminded me of jingling chains. I wasn't the only one who heard it, because the other five turned to face the sound as well.

The source was emerging from the darkness, and I felt my heart speed up with anxiety. Who was out here, and would they do anything to us? There were more than one of the people though. They were on some sort of sled that was pulled by two or three dogs each.

They pulled on the ropes, which were connected with chains, and made the dogs stop. One of the people stepped off his sled and pointed off into the darkness to tell us to follow him. Could we trust this stranger? It was either him, or freeze to death.

The people on sleds, turned them around and popped the ropes, making the dogs start running again. We had to pick up our pace so we didn't lose them in the darkness. Just when they escaped our field of vision, we walked a little further and saw hundreds of fires in front of us, lighting up the darkness around us.

Each one of the fires, was in front of a little dome made of ice. None of us cared if this was our stop or not. With the promise of warmth and safety, we hurried towards the fires.

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><p>a little bit of geographic change for your thoughts? eh? eh? :p (trying to keep things fresh, ya know?) check out the poll on my profile if you have't done so. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	32. Living In A World So Cold

_Shun_

All of us were literally moths to a flame. The way we were all hurrying to the fires, made us look like we had never seen heat in our lives. I found a fire that had nobody else around it yet, and darted for it. I dropped to my knees a few feet from the flame, and I ended up sliding a little bit. Immediately, I could feel the heat coming from the fire, and let out a sigh of relief. Alice and the rest of her friends joined around the same fire, all doing as I had done.

Even with the heat, we were all still shivering. But it was much more tolerable that the horrible weather we just came from. Unable to hold my tired body up any more, I laid down in the snow next to the fire. I didn't care that the ground was cold; I was getting enough warmth from the fire.

The people on the sleds pulled by dogs, were going around from fire to fire, tending to people who were on the verge of death due to the cold. They wore thick layers of clothes that were lined with fur on the inside, and had handmade goggles on their eyes to protect them from the snow.

In our group, I was still the only one laying down in the snow; the others looked like they wanted to, but weren't up to laying down on the cold ground. They were as close as they could get to the fire without getting burned. When we all first saw those fires, I was sure that some people would lay down in the fire in order to get warm. That was probably a bit of an exaggeration.

My eyes started to grow heavy, and I could feel myself falling into sleep. Before I had the chance, somebody lightly poked me in the back with their foot. I looked up and saw one of the heavily clothed people. They were staring down at me, then removed the fabric that was covering their mouth.

I discovered it was a woman when she said, "Don't fall asleep until completely warmed up. You can still freeze." She pulled the fabric back up over her mouth, and went on to another fire. Most likely to tell somebody else the same thing. Despite how tired I was, I didn't want to freeze in my sleep.

So, to keep myself awake, I sat back up and moved closer to the fire. Laying down would only make me sleepier and hopefully the fire would help keep me awake. My attention turned to all the other fires. From what I could tell, about half of the people we had brought with us from the lake, were still with us.

We had lost half of our numbers, just by going through that snow storm. _And we're not even a quarter of the way on the map._ How many of these people would we lose when we took them from this frozen place? Around us, the natives that had saved us from the snow storm, were handing out blankets to us.

When they passed them out to Alice and the others, I saw that they were made out of some kind of animal fur and skin. They were warm though, and I wasn't complaining about that. The sky and everything else around us, was still pitch black. Was it like this all the time here?

If it was, I didn't see how these people had survived in this kind of climate. I noticed that our refuges were moving into the domes of ice. The woman who kicked me awake, was walking towards us. She had removed the mask on her mouth and said, "Sorry about the wait. We had to start making room for all of you so you wouldn't have to sleep out in the storm. Come with me and I'll take you to the one your group will be staying in."

Her voice was thick with some sort of accent. I could understand what she was saying, but the way she spoke was much different from how we did. All of us were sluggish and slow when we got up; a true sign that we hadn't quite thawed out yet.

Luckily, we didn't have to walk very far to reach our new shelter. There was a small tunnel leading into the dome, and it was the only way to get into the structure. At first glance, it looked like none of us would be able to fit inside. But it was a lot more spacious than it looked.

Inside the dome, there was a small fire, and plenty of room for the six of us, plus three others; Brunswick, Marquis, and Val. It was nice to know we hadn't lost any of them during the storm. They weren't talking much, but were more focused on the fire, staring at it to make sure it didn't run away.

You would have thought that a house made of ice, would have been cold. But it was way warmer than it was outside. Somebody else was crawling into our dome; it was one of the people that dwelled out in this insane place. Only when she removed the hood on her jacket, and the goggles from her eyes, did I recognize her.

Well, the part of her mouth was what I really remember. It was the same woman who had woken me up, and brought us to this dome. She shook her hair loose, and allowed it to fall halfway down her back. The color and texture of it, reminded me a lot of how Christina's was.

In fact, almost everything about this woman reminded me of my old friend. Even they shape and color of the eyes. It was almost like looking back at Christina, but I knew I wasn't. Maybe my mind was tricking me, an effect of missing home. She was pulling her gloves off when she asked us, "By the size of your group, I take it that the Officials are chasing you?"

We nodded our heads slowly, either from being tired or just being so cold. The woman warmed her hands by the small fire and said, "Well, there's going to be no travel till this storm passes….You all picked a hell of a time to show up." She didn't sound too enthusiastic about our arrival.

If we didn't run the risk of freezing to death, I would have suggested we just kept on going. They were told, just like the lake people, that we would one day show up. They should have been ready for that day, whenever it would come. Despite weather or whatever obstacles they were facing.

She sighed and said, "Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers….I'm Feliciana." She held out her hand for us to shake. Compared to hers, our hands were like the ice we were taking shelter under. We told her our names, she nodded in acknowledgement.

In order to know who we were going to be traveling with, Feliciana told us about her, and as she called them, the Tribe. She was the leader of her people by bloodline, and also by the fact that she was the best hunter they had. I didn't know what all there was to hunt out in someplace like this, but there apparently was. Heck, I didn't even know where they had found all the wood for the fires.

Then again, I had seen nothing but darkness thanks to the storm. Brunswick and his companions went ahead and filled Feliciana in on who they were, and where they were from. She seemed impressed by them, most likely out of recognition at their adaptability.

Her impressed expression, faded when she got to us and learned that Alice and her friends were from the City; the source of all this trouble. She didn't bother to ask them anything else, apparently knowing all she wanted to. Then, she got to me and asked where I was from.

I told her, trying to hold down the sick feeling in my stomach. I was nowhere near healed yet, and I didn't like talking about what was wounding me. But, I was sure I would have to tell more people eventually, and now was the best time to toughen this wound up.

Feliciana stood up, her head almost touching the top of the dome, which she had called an igloo; a strange word in my opinion. "Well, it was nice getting to know who I, along with my people, will be traveling with. Now, if you excuse me, I have to make sure that everyone is getting ready to leave as soon as the land is clear to walk. Which should be sometime in the morning or early afternoon."

I couldn't stand looking at her and seeing the similarities in her and Christina, and I ended up stopping her before she left the igloo. "Wait. You wouldn't have happened to ever know a Christina, did you?" Feliciana stared at me for a moment and asked with half a breath, "How do you know my sister's name?"

I was taken aback. The resemblance between the two was uncanny, so it was possible that we were talking about the same Christina. Feliciana shook her head and said, "I don't have time to talk right now. Maybe tomorrow." She then hurried out of the igloo, leaving us in a silence.

_Shun_

After a while, all of us finally fell asleep in the dome of ice. I was sound asleep, enjoying every minute of the rest that I was obtaining while I could. But it was interrupted when somebody shook me out of my slumber. I looked around groggily in the igloo, which had gotten darker since the fire began to go out, and finally saw Feliciana staring down at me.

What was with her and waking me up? I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Hey….What's going on?" I asked, starting to think that maybe the Officials had caught up with us. I was sure there would be more chaos than this, seeing how quiet it was. Feliciana looked at me with serious eyes that reminded me so much of Christina's.

"I want to know how you know my sister's name," she said, border lining the tone of demanding. If this was the same Christina that we were both thinking about, then she probably wanted to know what happened to her sister. Feliciana probably hadn't seen Christina since she left and joined me and the Outcasts.

The Tribe leader made me step outside the igloo to talk with her. To my surprise, the snow storm had stopped and left us with nothing more than a light flurry of snowflakes. "How do you know her?" she asked again, sounded slightly urgent. I told her, "She showed up at my home when she was about sixteen. She never said where she was from or anything…..Why did she leave here? Other than it being insanely cold?"

Feliciana ignored my comment about the cold weather and sighed. "Christina left because of our father. He wanted her to marry somebody and carry on the family line. She didn't want to and there was a big fight." I shuddered in the cold, wishing for the warmth of the igloo behind me.

But this conversation was strictly between me and Feliciana. Nobody else. She took a breath, and let it out as a smoky wisp of air. "Christina told us that she was going to leave the Tribe and never come back. Our father said she was bluffing, and that if she did go, she'd never make it anywhere. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen and left. If I could have taken her place in that marriage, I would have. But I was already married to somebody. But since you know her, I take it that she did make it somewhere."

I nodded, thinking about how upset her family had to have been after they discovered she had run away from home. No matter where you were, the Wastelands were considered as a deathtrap, and to know that a member of your own family went out there, was something that had to be hard to deal with.

Relief was on Feliciana's face when she realized that her sister had survived the trek through the Wastelands. "Where is she now?" the Tribe leader asked me. Last time I saw my old friend, she was sending me out into the Wastelands, and was staying behind to face the Officials.

Did she not want to come with us because she still refused to go home, or did she really want to go down with the others? I was confused now, and decided not to think too much about it. I shook my head and told her, "I'm not sure, but I think the Officials got to her. I'm sorry. She was a close friend of mine."

Feliciana took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. I thought for a moment I saw a tear starting to form. The strong and harsh leader of the Tribe, actually did have feelings. "Now I know. I guess I don't have to go on with the rest of my life wondering what happened to her," she said and started to walk away.

I felt like I should have said something to her, but I couldn't find the words. So, I left it at that and returned back to the igloo. Besides, she would need the rest of the night to heal if she was to get ready for the morning, when we went on the move again.

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><p><em>chapter title based off the song World So Cold by Three Days Grace.<em> thought this was a good chance to drop in that tidbit about Christina. a couple of announcements, there will be no upload friday due to a band banquet. and there will be none on May 3 (i think) because i have a state test and will be extremely tired from it. check out the poll if you havent and read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	33. Behind Enemy Lines

_Alice_

Me, Dan, and the others helped load materials on the back of one of the dog sleds. The canines that would be used as the means of moving the sleds, sat in the snow and lolled their tongues happily. It must have been nice to not know what was happening.

They just thought they were going for another run, not leaving their frozen home behind. We got the last of the supplies loaded on the sled, and made sure the ropes were tied tightly. We didn't want anything to fall off, especially if it were something that we might need.

I noticed up at the dogs, Feliciana was shuffling through the snow and throwing them some dried meat. She had seemed lost since last night, and I knew it had something to do with that confrontation she had with Shun. He had brought up Christina and asked Feliciana if they had ever known each other.

That was when Feliciana asked how we knew her sister. I thought the two of them looked familiar. The similarities were mainly in their eyes. She knelt down and rubbed the ears of one of the dogs, telling it that they were going on a little trip. The dog looked at her and just kept panting.

"Alice, you need to get something to eat with the rest of us," said Runo, who had snuck up behind me and startled me out of my thoughts. She was pointing over to a large crowd of people; several of the Tribe members were handing out dried meat like the kind that had been given to the sled dogs.

I followed Runo over there to get a little bite of food before we all left. Who knows when we'd be able to take a break and eat, or how much food we'd have by the end of the day? It was safer to get something in our stomachs now, rather than not have anything at all.

Two pieces of the dried meat were handed to me, just like everyone else. I didn't know what kind of animal it had been, but I wasn't about to ask and ruin my appetite by finding out what it was. I held the food in my hand, then spotted Shun leaning against the pile of supplies on one of the sleds.

The two of us had been too busy trying to warm up once we escaped the snow storm, that we had hardly talked to anybody, much less each other. The land surrounding us had changed drastically from last night. The sky was no longer pitch black, but a light blue color with thick, fluffy clouds drifting through the air.

No snow was falling to the ground, and everything was still and silent. It really wasn't all that bad here, when it wasn't storming. I sat down beside Shun, carefully leaning against the sled because I feared that I would knock something off.

He smiled and said, "Hey." I smiled and told him hey back. Shun held out one of the pieces of dried meat to me and asked, "You want it? I'm not all that hungry." I shook my head and told him, "No, you need to keep it in case you get hungry later." He shrugged and said, "Good point."

Then he tucked the dried food away in his pocket. I found my eyes drifting over towards the people that we had brought with us from the lake. From what I had been told, we had lost more of them during the night; the majority of the deaths from freezing, regardless if they were in an igloo with a fire and blankets to warm them.

It looked like we had about a fourth of the people we brought with us, and I was sure that it would be like this by the time we reached our next stop. Thoughts raced through my mind about what we would encounter along the way this time. "I talked with Feliciana last night."

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to face Shun. He had his head tilted back, his face looking upwards at the sky and its clouds. "It was while everyone was asleep," he added. Wondering what he was seeing in the sky, I started to look up as well. All I saw was blue and white.

I had to admit, the light blue sky and the white of the clouds and snow on the ground, was a beautiful sight to look at it. Maybe even more than the lake that we had spent a couple of days at. I asked Shun, "What did you two talk about?" To my left, two kids from the lake were running around and playing in the snow.

Val, who was standing nearby, told them to knock it off. _Why's he in such a bad mood today?_ Shun told me, "Mainly about Christina. I found out that she was from here, and why she left. That's about it since Feliciana didn't seem to want to go into anymore details." I could see why.

She hadn't seen or heard from her sister since she left. Now, Feliciana knew where Christina went, and that she had been alive. For the time being. "Did you tell Feliciana what happened to her sister?" I asked. Shun sighed and nodded, not taking his eyes from the sky.

"Yeah. She asked and I told her. That was when she ended the conversation and left." I continued to stare up as the sky as well, still unable to figure out what Shun was looking at. Then, I had a good idea what it was. He was looking off beyond what was in front of him, to a place where things were normal, and we didn't have to sacrifice lives in order to get to safety.

He was looking for a paradise that we all wished existed right now. Maybe that paradise would be beyond those mountains and at the end of our journey. But we had several more stops along the way before we found out. Somebody let out a shrill whistle, gaining the attention of everyone within earshot.

I turned and saw Feliciana standing in the center of all the people that were going to accompany us shortly. "Alright! Let's get moving!" she shouted and stepped on the back of one of the dog sleds. Since Murucho was still honorary map keeper, he was riding on the sled with her in order to give her directions.

Not all of us were going to be on sleds; we were only taking about six with us. The people who were riding the sleds, weren't going to go that fast; only a smidge faster than we could walk. Once the sled riders were strapped in, they whistled and their dogs started to run.

We all started walking behind them, not really comprehending that we were leaving another place, and taking more people away from their homes and towards and unknown future. But we couldn't afford to stay around and get blindsided by the Officials once again.

_No One_

Mass hysteria is all he could describe it as. One of the Officials, Clay, leaned against the window of the headquarters for him and all his partners. He stared out at the City, wondering what had become of the place. Charred skeletons remained where buildings and houses once stood.

Smoke still rose up into the air from them. This mass exodus that had fallen upon the City, wasn't anything he, or his fellow Officials, knew about. They discovered what the higher Officials intentions were. All Clay thought they were doing, was looking for the Outcast and the people who were hiding him.

He never would have thought that they were going to be killing hundreds of people without any logical reason. But he couldn't walk up to his superior and deny their motives. He would have surely ended up dead if he did that. As Clay stayed back in the crumbling City, the other Officials were out in the Wastelands, hunting the Outcast and his friends.

Why it mattered if the Officials went after them, Clay didn't know. He would have just suggested they let the runaways die out in the Wastelands. But, as usual, the higher Officials worked in strange ways, and held strange motives.

His superior, Xavier, was in the room next door, going over plans. Clay had been called to the office for some reason that was unknown to him, and that made him nervous. Had he done something wrong? Clay hadn't as far as he knew. The Official sighed, and continued to stare down at what was once his home, along with so many other people's.

There was no way the acceptance of what was happening in front of him, was morally right or sound. But he was an Official. This was what he was told to do by his leader, and it confused him. Since day one, Clay idolized the Officials and all they stood for; safety, protection, and honor.

Now, it was like he didn't know them anymore, and he was ashamed of himself for being a part of them. He wasn't the only one though. There was tons of talk about how what they were doing was wrong while they were 'cleansing' the City from deadweight.

If Clay ever had the chance to leave the Officials, he would have taken it. But then, he would be nothing more than another civilian at their mercy. Xavier could decide to kill him then. Heck, his leader was probably planning that right now. He didn't know what was going on anymore.

_I see why they left this place,_ Clay thought to himself silently, thinking about how the runaways had vanished from the City without a trace. Only when a patrolling Official saw one of them out in the Wastelands where the Outcasts lived, did they find out where they had gone.

But when Clay and some other Officials went out there and demolished the home of the Outcasts, they could find no evidence of them ever being there. The only thing that made sense, was that the runaways had vanished again. That was when the hunt for them began.

Reports had come in that they were spotted at some lake about a day's journey from the City. They, along with half of the natives of the lake, had left under the cover of night while some stayed behind to hold the Officials back. After that, the trail went cold, but Clay knew it wouldn't take long for them to pop up again.

All he wished to know, was what was so important about these kids. Surely they couldn't last that long out in the Wastelands, regardless to whether they found shelter or not. The door to his leader's office opened, and Xavier stepped out, along with several other Officials.

Xavier motioned for Clay to come into his office, and the Official did as his superior asked. Xavier locked the door behind them, which sent an anxious chill up Clay's back. Since he was called to his leader's office, he had a bad feeling about what it could bring.

Xavier told him to sit, and he did; Clay was the perfect, obedient Official. Xavier tapped his fingers on his desk, and Clay saw a map spread out. It looked like the Wastelands, and had several spots circled. He then remembered, that it was taken from the Outcast when they had him imprisoned.

"There's some talk going around the Officials that you and a couple of others don't like what we're doing. Is that true?" Xavier said neutrally. Clay gulped, scared to know what would happen if he answered. If he told the truth, he would certainly be in trouble. And lying didn't seem to be smart either, because he had a feeling Xavier knew the truth already.

When Clay didn't speak, Xavier shook his head. "I'm ashamed, Clay. You, of all my Officials, have been ruined by these questionable thoughts. It's not your job to think, but rather to act." Clay heard the movement of people outside of the office.

So, he quickly asked, "Why are you doing this? Why are you killing these people? Why are you after those kids that ran away?" The door swung open, and two Officials hooked Clay under his arms, restraining him with sheer strength.

Xavier walked to the restrained Clay and said, "I'm doing this, because it's right. Years ago it was said that this would happen, and I'm only carrying out my word. And those kids running off, weren't part of the job description. Now, take him away."

Clay's eyes widened, and he started to struggle against his human handcuffs. The two Officials dragged him away, the last thing he saw was Xavier closing the door to his office.

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><p>would have been done sooner, but i got distracted. o.o my bad. again, i won't upload friday. check out my profile for a very important poll if you haven't. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	34. Six Degrees Of Separation

_Shun_

We took the first step out of the snow, and back onto the familiar ash of the Wastelands. Instead of still going North like we had been, we turned to head West like the map wanted. Now, we were out of the snow and cold temperatures. I wasn't complaining about that, but the people from the Tribe didn't seem to be fairing well with the temperature increase.

This was a drastic change for them; they've lived their whole lives in freezing temperatures and snowstorms. A little bit of comfortable weather for us, would end up making them miserable. Already, I could see the sweat pouring from their hair, and many of them slipped out of the thick jackets they wore so they could try and cool down. Feliciana, who was still up front and leading the dog sled teams, had also taken off her jacket and was fanning herself with her hand.

Even the dogs looked like they could have used a cooling down. Since they were already sweating and dying from the heat, I knew we'd have to find water and shade for them soon, or we'd lose them like we did the people from the lake when we crossed into the snowstorm. Or as Murucho had called it, the "Snow Zone." Same with the lake, which he predictably called the "Lake Zone."

Something told me that every stop we made, it was going to be called some kind of 'zone.' But, it was the only thing we had to call them, so we went along with it. Feliciana held up one hand, and put the other in her mouth to let out a shrill whistle. The dog sleds stopped, along with everyone else.

"The dogs need to take a short break. I suggest everyone else do the same thing," she said and stepped off her sled. The people from the Tribe we sitting down, and the refugees we brought with us from the lake, were trying to help cool them down.

It was surprising to see them, these people who had never known the other existed, helping one another out. All in the name of trying to get everyone to safety. A small man was tending to the dogs, and I caught a glimpse of Feliciana digging around in the supplies that was on one of the sleds.

I walked over to her and asked, "What are you doing?" She didn't look at me while she was untying a rope, but she said, "I'm going to look around and do some hunting if I can. It would hurt to try and get a little more food than we have now." My eyes started to scan around the Wastelands.

There was nothing out here. I asked, "And what do you plan on hunting?" Feliciana then pulled out some kind of weapon made out of rope, then lifted a bag of small pebbles out. She looked at me and said, "Whatever I can find." She tied to rope back over the supplies and started to walk out into the Wastelands.

I didn't doubt her ability to hunt, but I did doubt the chances she had of finding her way back here. The Wastelands looked pretty much the same, and I knew on a personal level how easy it is to get lost in them. She vanished out of my sight, and I sighed.

If something happened to her, then there was no telling how her people would react. They might not even want to continue the journey and just stay where they were at until they died. Murucho was sitting down in the ash, reading the map as usual. Alice and Dan were standing next to him and talking; I was too far away to tell what they were saying.

I suddenly didn't want to stay here anymore. This place that Feliciana picked to stop was just too wide open for my liking. Memories of how the Officials snuck up on us back at the lake, returned to my mind. From what I had learned, stopping for too long could end badly. Proof of that came back from the lake, and at my old home. None of us had the slightest clue where the Officials were, or how far away they were from us.

_Feliciana needs to hurry back._ The longer we stayed in that one place, the more antsy I got. We were wasting time and only decreasing the distance between us and the Officials. I would have thought Feliciana would have thought about this. Just when I was about to head off in the direction she left in, I saw her walking back.

Already it was starting to grow dark, and I was sure that none of us wanted to travel through the unforgiving Wastelands without being able to see. She held several dead birds in her hands, and I was impressed with the kind of aim she had. But there was hardly any meat on the birds, and nowhere near enough to feed the mass of people we had accumulated.

But some was better than none, right? She walked by me and threw the birds onto her sled, and started to wrap them up in a bag. One of the dogs snuck beside her and was sniffing the bird carcass. When she noticed him, she popped him on the nose and said sternly, "No. You'll get your food soon enough."

The dog grumbled and walked back to his own kind. I hurried over to her and said, "It's about time you got back." Alice and the four of her friends walked up behind me. Feliciana shrugged and said, "I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything while I was out."

The five people behind me, must have felt the same way about staying in the one spot for so long because Murucho said, "I think we should hurry and start moving again. We lost a lot of time, and have a lot of ground to gain back." Feliciana was putting her weapon back on the sled, keeping her back facing us and not responding to Murucho's words.

Dan glanced at everyone and then looked at the sister of Christina. "It's getting dark, which means it will be cooler than it is during the day. Your people should be able to travel better." Feliciana gave one good tug on the rope and said, "I know this. I'm about to get the dogs tied back up and then we'll head on out."

Dan and the others looked at one another, then walked off, leaving me still standing by Feliciana. She was holding herself up by leaning against the sled's supplies, and she sighed. I then realized she didn't go out into the Wastelands to hunt, but rather to clear her mind from some things.

And I knew that those things, were Christina. Taking the news of what happened to her sister, was just as hard for her as it was for me. Except my wounds had started to heal, while hers had just been inflicted. I was fortunate to have Alice by my side and trying to help get me over the loss of my friend.

As far as I knew, Feliciana didn't have anyone to comfort her through the ordeal that her sister was gone. And I had no clue how, or if, I could help her. This was different for the two of us; Christina had only been my friend, while she had been Feliciana's sister.

This was flesh and blood we were dealing with. Not just a friendship. The dog teams were hooked back up, and our caravan was on the move through the falling night. It was very intimidating to go through the Wastelands in the dark, and not knowing what to expect.

Because of this, the dog sled team was going slower, and all the people we were taking with us were huddled closely together so we didn't lose anybody. I was trying to find anyone I might recognize, but I couldn't make out any facial features from the people around me.

I was fretting that we were going to end up losing people because we couldn't see where we were going. But I had to have some faith that nothing bad would happen. I should have known better with our luck. Ahead of us in the darkness, I heard the dog sled teams scream.

Unable to see, none of us knew what was going on with them. Had the Officials found us somehow? Every person that we had with us, started to freak out and the confusion only grew from there. I stumbled forward blindly and yelled, "Hey! What happened!"

I took one more step, and it was like the ground beneath me turned to dust, sending me sliding down a slope into further darkness. I didn't even have a chance to scream before I hit my head on what felt like a rock, and went out.

_Shun_

I groaned when I finally came to, and pushed myself up to a sitting position. It was still too dark for me to see anything, so I had no clue where I was at, or who might have been around me. But I soon realized that I couldn't see anything not because it was still dark.

Apparently, when I hit my head, my vision was stunted. This made me start to panic, and I frantically ran my hands across the ground to try and find anything that might tell me where I was at. The ground felt like the ash in the Wastelands, but it was much more coarse and fine, and not like a powder.

I shut my eyes as tightly as I could, and kept opening them up, hoping that my vision would return soon. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to see again, and that I would end up dying wherever I was at. Then, it was like a light was slowly being turned on, and I began to regain my sight. I let out a long sigh of relief that I wouldn't be blind the rest of my life.

Although everything was still fuzzy, I was able to make out what was around me. From what I could tell, dawn was starting to rise. The more my eyes came back into focus, I could see that people were laying on the ground around me. My eyes were, at last, completely back in focus, and I could see who was around me.

It was all the people who were manning the dog sleds; Feliciana and Murucho included. The sleds themselves, were turned over on their sides, but it didn't look like any of the supplies fell off. I looked behind me, and saw Dan laying on the ground unconscious.

That was it though. There were none of the people from the Lake Zone, and only the people who were on the sleds. There was no sign of Alice or the other two girls that were her friends. Moving my attention from the people around me, I turned to my surroundings.

What had felt like ash, was sand. And what I slid down, was a huge slope that led into this giant bowl-shaped hole that was filled with the sand. I looked up at where I had fallen from, and didn't see any signs of anyone else that had stayed up there. I started to get worried about where they had gone while we were out and trapped in this hole. "Anyone up there?"

I shouted. No answer. Behind me, Feliciana started to wake up. She looked around, confused as I was when I finally came to. The rest of the people who had fallen into this sand trap, were also starting to wake up. After a few minutes passed, and everyone had gotten over their confusion and realized what happened, we started to figure out a way to get out of this hole.

Getting out involved taking the dogs and the sleds with us, if we could. If we couldn't, then we would be leaving behind all the blankets and food we took with us. The incline of the hole was way too steep for any of us to climb up, and the loose sand on it didn't help us either.

Murucho's eyes then lit up, and he ran over to one of the sleds and took the rope off of the supplies, spilling them on the ground. He found a metal spear that the Tribe had brought with them, and tied to rope to it. Dan was shaking his head and asked, "What are you doing?"

Murucho made sure the rope was secure and said, "Maybe there's a rock or something up there that we can hook this to. Then one of us could climb up and hold the rope while everyone else climbs out." It was the only plan we had, so that automatically made it the best. Murucho handed the rope contraption over to Feliciana and asked if she was able to try and throw the rope all the way to the top of the hole.

She took it and said, "I'll give it a shot." We all stepped back, giving her plenty of room. She spun the rope in a circle a few times, then let it fly. The metal spear landed at the top of the hole, but when she tugged at it to see if she caught anything, it fell right back down and joined us again.

This went on for what seemed like forever. The sun was already halfway across the sky, and it would start setting soon. Dan growled and said in an agitated voice, "This is ridiculous. There's nothing up there for it to catch on. We're only wasting time." I sighed. We all were aggravated that we had been trapped in this hole, exposed to the sun's heat and rays.

So, I was expecting one of us to snap eventually. Murucho looked at Dan and said, "Let's give it one more chance." Feliciana heard what Murucho said, and she took a deep breath as she prepped herself for one more go. I could see in her eyes, that she wasn't expecting anything to happen.

She let the rope fly, and it landed on the ground above us. When she tugged the rope, it was like everyone held their breaths. If this didn't work, then I had no clue what we'd do after this. She pulled the rope, and it wouldn't fall back down into the hole. It had caught on something.

Murucho smiled and said, "Alright!" We all agreed that Murucho, being the smallest, should go up the rope first in order to reduce the risk of the rope losing its hold. So, he did and made it successfully to the top. While he held onto the rope, one by one, all of us escaped.

All that was left now, were Feliciana, Dan, and me. We wanted to keep the sleds and dogs, so we tied to rope to them and lifted then up. Once all of those things were out, Feliciana climbed up. Then, I did. When I joined the others, I saw that all the people that had been with us last night, were nowhere to be found.

All of them had vanished. A sick feeling formed in my stomach as thoughts raced through my mind. It wasn't as much as the loss of all the people, but more along the lines of the possible loss of Alice. Below me, Dan was almost to the top of the hole, when the rope snapped.

He was about to fall back down the slope, but I caught his arm just in time. He looked up at me, not expecting that I would catch him. Along with the help of some others, we pulled Dan up. He dusted himself off, then looked at me. "Thanks. That could have ended badly."

I nodded and told him, "No problem. Now, we need to figure out where the others went." That was much easier said than done. Because we all turned to look out at the Wastelands and its vastness. But no long was all of it ash.

During some point of our traveling last night, we had crossed over into a sand covered stretch of land. And already, the heat was rising. We had to work quickly and try to find them. If that was even possible.

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><p>greetings fellow readers! i'm back once again. sorry for not uploading the past two days. band stuff as usual. I had our banquet last night and walked out of there as Most Valuable for the 2nd year and Advanced Musicianship. feeling totally accomplished! woo! well, read, review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	35. Aftermath Of Pandora's Box

_Shun_

"Anyone got an idea on which way they may have gone?" asked Murucho. I shook my head, taken aback by the endless land that was around us. Dan shrugged and said, "There's no telling where they could have wandered off to. All we can do is try and find them though."

Murucho sighed and pulled out a piece of charred wood that he had taken from the Wastelands. He sat down on the ground, and estimated the location we were at. Then, in his small handwriting, he wrote _'Desert Zone'_ and folded the map back up.

It wasn't so much a desert, but rather another extreme climate of the Wastelands. What I had assumed was sand, was nothing more than scorched ashes that had turned into another substance due to the intense heat that had beaten down on it.

It still didn't help with the miserable heat though; all it did was make things worse. I was already dripping sweat, and I felt sorry for Feliciana and her people. They were probably twice as miserable as Dan, Murucho, and I. Feliciana was fanning herself with her hand when she said, "Let's start looking for them before this heat gets any worse…..If it can do that."

The sled team that was stuck with us, got on their sleds and started to make their dogs go forward. They glided as easily as they had on snow and ash, but the hot sand seemed to be slowing the dogs down. Obviously, the ground was hotter than we thought.

Feliciana, finally seeing that the dogs' feet were too sensitive to stay on the ground, halted us and pulled out a large piece of cloth from the supplies on a sled. She then tore them into smaller pieces, and wrapped the dogs' feet up so their pads wouldn't be in direct contact of the ground.

Instead of wandering around mindlessly in the Wastelands, we continued in the direction that we had been going last night, hoping to encounter the rest of the group along the way. Our theory was that they just kept on going, missing the sand trap that we fell in.

I did hope we found them soon. We had the supplies; food, snow that was melted in order to have water, and other necessities. Without those things, the rest of the group was at the mercy of the elements. And in this heat, they would surely go downhill fast.

While we walked, I kept scanning the ground for signs that they had traveled this way. Anything would have done; footprints, a shoe, anything. Just something that would show me that they had been this way. Or, that Alice had been this way.

Since I realized that they were wandering around in this desert, I had gotten a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Hello!" I jumped when Dan shouted next to me. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted again, his voice echoing back to us.

Murucho looked up at his brunette friend and said, "Dan, I don't think yelling is going to work." I knew what Murucho was trying to tell him. He wasn't saying that trying to find our friends was pointless, but wasting Dan's voice was. There was too much space for his voice to reverberate from, and that muted his shouts.

Even next to him, his voice wasn't as loud as it could be. Dan looked at Murucho and said, "I'm just trying to find them." He didn't shout again. I had sensed a tension floating around Dan since we got out of that sand trap. I finally realized that it was the same tension that was plaguing me.

He wanted to find his friends, but more importantly, the blue-haired girl that he liked so much. Just like how I wanted to find Alice and see that she was still alive. The sled dogs up ahead, were panting to no end, and I swore that if they could sweat like us, they would have looked like they had been soaked with water.

Murucho then stopped walking, and stared blankly in front of him. Dan and I stopped and stared at the short boy, unable to see what he was looking at. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Feliciana and the sled teams were still going. "Hey! Stop for a minute!" I shouted up to them.

They halted the dogs, making sure to use this time to keep the canines hydrated, and turned to face us. "What's going on?" Feliciana shouted back. Dan was snapping his fingers in front of Murucho's face. "Murucho! Wake up, buddy!" The short blonde then smiled and said in a fascinated tone, "Isn't it wonderful?"

Dan and I raised an eyebrow, then exchanged a look at one another. I asked, "What are you talking about, Murucho?" Surely he couldn't have thought the heat was wonderful. Then, he darted off forward, and threw himself into the sand and was pretending to swim.

He was laughing and rolling around in the sand. Dan scratched the back of his head and said, "He's seeing a mirage. Looks like the heat finally got to him." Dan started to walk over to Murucho, and scooped him out of the sand. Murucho groaned, then proceeded to hit Dan in his back and said, "I wasn't done swimming!"

Feliciana then helped to tie Murucho to one of the sleds, and started to give him water in hopes to bring him out of his fantasy image. I prayed that I didn't start to hallucinate from the heat like that. One of the male sled riders, who was called Marcus if I heard Feliciana correctly, looked at Murucho and said, "He was the one who was reading the map, right? How are we going to read it now?"

Feliciana gave Murucho another drink of water and said, "The hallucinations should stop soon. When they do, he'll be back to normal. But for now, we just need to keep moving." And we did. I made the point that we needed to cover Murucho up, or else he would cook under the sun even faster than if he were walking.

Marcus pulled out a blanket and covered our friend up; it kind of looked like we were carrying around a dead body. After a while, all of us were panting like the sled dogs, and I wished that we had gone back to the Snow Zone because I would much rather freeze than bake to death.

Dan abruptly stopped, almost making me run into him. First, I thought he was starting to lose it like Murucho had. But when he knelt down and lifted something from the sand, I realized he was still sane. He held a small bracelet in his thumb and index finger and said, "This is Julie's. I remember when Runo got it for her birthday."

Dan stood up and held the bracelet in the palm of his hand. I looked at the silver piece of jewelry and said, "That means they had to of come this way, right?" Dan stuck the bracelet away in his pocket and said, "Either that, or just Julie."

I knew both of us were hoping it was more than just Julie. We wanted it to be the whole group of refugees we brought with us, Alice and Runo included. All my wishes of the temperature, came true, but I started to wish they hadn't. I didn't think nighttime in the desert was so cold, but it was.

Our group of nine people, made camp in the middle of the giant sandbox. Thankfully, there were more than plenty of blankets to go around, and Feliciana was able to find enough material to build a fire. Behind us, where the sleds were, we heard Murucho shout, "Hey! What's going on here! Let me go!"

Under the blanket we placed over him, I could see him flailing around as he tried to break free. He must have loosened a rope, because he then tumbled off the sled and landed on the sandy ground. All of us began to laugh at his expense. It felt nice to have some humor thrown into the mix.

Murucho then scrambled over to our fire when he realized how cold it was. We laughed and joked about what he had done during his mirage moment. When all the fun was over, one by one, we started to fall asleep. I was the only one still awake out of our small group.

I was laying on my back, the blanket covering my front, and stared up at the night sky. In all my life, I had never spent any time to look up and see the night sky. It was full of stars and the dark silhouettes of clouds that were drifting by. The world above me, was more vast than the Wastelands.

At least our barren land had an end; I wasn't sure if the sky did. I turned my head to the side and stared out at where the sky met the desert. _They could be anywhere,_ I thought silently to myself, fighting back a yawn. I pulled my blanket up to my shoulders, and closed my eyes.

_Alice_

I rubbed my arms to try and warm myself up. One moment, it was hotter than fire. Now, it felt like we were back in that snowstorm. I huddled closer to the group of people that I woke up next to; Marquis, Val, and Julie. It was all we could do in order to stay warm that night since we had lost the supplies in the dark last night. After we heard those people scream, it seemed like all chaos broke out of Pandora's Box.

People were freaking out, not knowing what was going on and why others were shouting. So apparently, the whole group of people broke off and wandered away from each other. I woke up that morning with Marquis, Val, and Julie laying beside me. To much of our surprise, we were laying in sand, and that the heat was rising quickly.

Val had suffered from a mirage on more than one occasion, and Julie passed out once from the heat. Which, Marquis carried her until she woke up. All while we wandered around the desert, not knowing where we were going or where anyone else may have been, I couldn't help but wonder if Shun was alright.

Maybe if he was lucky enough, he had found somewhere safe from the heat. But I knew he wouldn't stay there. He would be too occupied in trying to find me. I moved closer to Marquis for more warmth, trying to deal with the smell of old fish and sweat.

I gagged, but held down the empty contents of my stomach. Holding my breath from the stench, I looked up at the sky. All the stars were twinkling, and without the moon, they were brighter against their black backdrop. I didn't understand how such a wonderful site could be there, when everything below it was anything but.

I began to weigh our chances. We had no food, no water, and no map. At that moment, if it hadn't been clear yet, we were out of luck. There were no lakes for Marquis and Val to fish in, so their gathering skills were worthless, and Julie and I knew nothing that could help us.

I let my long-held breath out, and decided to deal with Marquis's smell. I didn't know if I was getting sleepy, or if it was Marquis that was making me drowsy. Either way, I gave into my body's whims and started to drift off, hoping to find anybody we knew in the morning.

* * *

><p>finished kinda early in my opinion. :) i feels accomplished again. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	36. Under Fire

_Shun_

Another day out in the heat, and it wasn't anymore forgiving than the last. But thanks to a couple of low clouds, we were shielded from the sun for most of the day. I didn't want it to be hot, but I didn't want it to be as cold as it was during the night, either.

There wasn't any middle ground for this heat though, and the only thing to do was to suffer through it. I looked down at my arms and saw they were turning red from the sun. I wasn't the only one getting burned. Dan, Murucho, and everyone else were showing signs of the effects of the sun's rays. Murucho wasn't even reading the map anymore.

He was using it as a shield from the sun, occasionally checking it to make sure we were going in the right direction. I didn't see how he could tell. There were more landmarks in the Wastelands than there were in this desert. I was even beginning to wonder if Murucho even knew where we were going now, or if he was just reading the map for looks.

All the time we had been walking that day, we hadn't seen anymore signs that anyone else had been this way, and I was starting to become even more doubtful about finding them. I needed to stay positive. To keep believing that we would find everyone we lost.

But reality was a horrible thing when it started to set in. The odds of us finding anybody, were starting to seem like zero to none. Feliciana stopped the six dog sleds and pulled out the canister that had been filled with snow when we left; and was now water.

The dogs, and all of us, were in need of some water before we dried up. She twisted off the cap on the canister, and turned it upside down. One little, pitiful, drop of water fell out and evaporated before it even hit the ground. She said flatly, "We're out…."

Dan heaved a heavy sigh and said, "Are you serious?" Feliciana nodded her head and threw the canister onto the sandy ground. With no water, our odds diminished even further. We'd probably die before we found anybody, or our next stop on the map.

Suddenly feeling tired, I sat down and leaned against one of the sleds. Feliciana was staring at me quizzically and asked me, "What are you doing? We have to keep moving. Get up." I closed my eyes and said blandly, "What's the point? We probably won't make it much farther anyway."

I could tell she was shaking her head in disappointment in me. I didn't blame her. "That's the desert talking, Shun. Now, get up," she told me. I opened my eyes and groaned. She was right. The heat and doubt was starting to get to me. I had made sure to promise myself that I wouldn't give up till we found Alice and the rest of our people.

I stood up, and something caught my eye's attention. Far out in the desert and through the heat waves coming from the ground, a group of people were walking towards us. Or, at least, I thought there was. I pointed out in the direction of the people and asked, "Am I the only one seeing this?"

They had gotten closer, and I saw that their heads and faces were wrapped up in a shawl to protect them from the sun. Everyone turned to see where I was pointing. Dan squinted his eyes against the sun and said, "I see them too."

A sequence of nods followed as more people saw the people approaching us. There only seemed to be about ten or twelve people in total, and I my first thought was that they may have lived out here. We had been greeting by people from the past two Zones we stopped at, so this was a familiar site.

If they were indeed the people who lived in the Desert Zone, then maybe more of our group had been rescued by them. Out of desperation, we started waving our arms to make sure they saw us. They stopped walking, and I was able to see them lifting something up, but they were much too far for me to see what it was.

Something then shot into the air and flew towards us. I jumped to the side when it landed next to me. It looked like a small pouch, but tied at the top was a fuse. And it was lit. "Get down!" I yelled, not knowing what would happen when it ran out of fuse.

I hit the sand in time to watch the small pouch burst into flames, and set fire to all the supplies on the sleds. The dogs were howling and fighting against their harnesses as they tried to get away from the fire. Feliciana hurried over to them, and set them free.

The dogs took off into the desert in order to get as far away from the burning sleds as they could. The mystery people that shot the pouch, were now running towards us. The nine of us, still being slightly disoriented from the blast, remained on the ground. Now that they were right in front of us, I could see them more clearly.

One of them held a cannon-like contraption, which I figured what was shot the exploding pouch at us. They looked down at us through the opening in their shawls, and the one in the middle removed his. I let out a gasp when I saw the face.

The same Official who had beaten me back in the City, and who had almost killed me back at the lake. The rest of the people behind him removed their facial coverings as well, all of them Officials. The head Official saw me and grinned. "What a coincidence," he said humorlessly to me.

He reached into a bag, and pulled out another of the exploding pouches. Instead of putting it in the cannon, he just held it in his hand and struck a match on his shirt. I watched the small flame come in contact with the fuse just in time for a rock to hit him in the side of his head.

The Official stumbled back and dropped both the match and pouch to the ground. I looked around, confused as to where the rock came from. I then saw Feliciana standing by one of the still-burning sleds, holding her weapon, and another rock in her hand, ready to be hurled at another Official.

The head Official stumbled up to his feet, and was holding the side of his head where the rock hit him. Blood was seeping out from under his fingers. I thought about how much he deserved that from when he hit me upside my head with the end of a gun. Feliciana hit several more of the Officials with rocks from her weapon.

Soon, smoke from the burning sleds began to surround all of us, making it difficult to see. I was still on the ground when a hand grabbed my arm. At first, I thought it was an Official. But when I looked up, I saw it was Feliciana instead. Her arm was covering her face from the smoke, but I could hear her muffled voice say, "Hurry and get up!"

I did and ran behind her till we were out of the smoke. My eyes were watering from the soot, but I was able to see that the others that had been with us, were already out of the danger zone. But where were we going to hide? There was nowhere to go except sand, sand, and more sand.

And those Officials wouldn't be disoriented for much longer. We were so exposed, and I knew they would catch us. What they did after that, I wasn't so sure about. The best thing we could do, was put as much distance between them as we possibly could.

Murucho slowed down and said, "I don't think they're following us anymore." The rest of us stopped running, and turned around. He was right. As far as we could see, they weren't chasing after us. "Maybe they retreated so they could regroup. Because I'm sure they weren't expecting to be attacked back," said Dan as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

A large cloud of smoke billowed up from the place that we just ran from. That alone would be visible for miles and miles out in this desert. I told them, "I don't care if they are no longer chasing us, we still need to get far away from them." I shuddered at the third close encounter with death I had from the same Official.

Murucho nodded and said, "I agree with Shun." Despite how tired we were, we started to walk through the desert again. I was now positive that we didn't know which way we were headed, seeing that we lost our sense of direction during all the chaos. Dan halted in front of me, causing me and Murucho to bump into him because we weren't paying attention.

Murucho shook his head and asked, "Dan? Why did you stop?" The brunette raised his hand up and pointed. "People," he said. Murucho and I followed where his finger was pointing to, and sure enough, there was a small group of people walking in our direction.

I heard Murucho groan and say, "Please tell me it isn't more Officials." In the setting sun, I caught a quick flash of bright orange, an orange that could only belong to one person. "Alice!" I yelled and ran towards the people.

_Alice_

I looked around when I heard somebody shout my name. It was hard to pinpoint out in the desert, but I finally saw another group of people in front of us, and one of them was running towards us. When they got closer, I saw that Shun was among them. I felt my eyes widen, and I was unable to believe that they had actually found us.

Out in this huge and endless stretch of land, we found more of our group. But the site of seeing Shun, I couldn't help but run towards him as well. Our arms wrapped around each other and formed a hug. I kept saying, "I can't believe we found you guys!"

Behind him, I saw Murucho, Dan, Feliciana, and the entire dog sled team. Julie's squealed, "Dan! Murucho!" I watched as she ran towards the two boys and wrapped them up in a hug of her own. Dan didn't pay much attention to her, and broke away from her hug. His eyes were searching all around us and he asked, "Is Runo with you guys?"

Julie shook her head and told him, "No, but I'm sure we'll find her eventually. Just like we found you guys!" Dan sighed, and I felt sorry for him. He was just as worried about Runo as I had been about Shun, so I knew what he was going through.

He then pulled something out of his pocket, and handed it to Julie. Dan said, "I found your bracelet." Julie's eyes lit up. "Yay! Thank you!" She took the silver bracelet and put it back on her wrist. Shun turned away from them and asked me, "How did you guys find us?"

I pointed to the smoke off in the distance. "We were follow that, thinking that maybe it was somebody we knew that was trying to signal us." Shun shook his head and told me, "Well, it's not trying to signal anybody. That smoke is from the Officials. They attacked us and set the dog sleds on fire."

I gasped, surprised how close we were to the Officials. Murucho gathered our attentions and said, "We need to find a place for the night before it gets too cold and we freeze." Nobody disagreed with him. Especially not me, Julie, Val, or Marquis.

We had experienced the cold desert nights firsthand, and none of us wanted to go through that again. Before the sun set and took the last of the hot day with it, we set out to find somewhere to rest, and a place that was also safe from the Officials.

* * *

><p>gah. would have been done sooner...but i got distracted by spongebob o.o...my bad. lol im still a kid on the inside XP well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	37. No Relief In Comfort

_Alice_

I couldn't sleep well that night, even when I knew that Shun and most of my friends were safe and beside me. Maybe it was the cold night, or the fact that the Officials had been a couple of miles from us. That alone was enough to keep my nerves on end. How did we know that they weren't still out there, searching for us?

Out in the middle of this bipolar environment, we were wide open and exposed. I was laying against Shun's chest, thankful that I didn't have to depend on Marquis for another night of warmth; his smell had given me enough trauma the night before. But sadly, Murucho had taken my place, and I was sure he passed out from the stench of sweat and fish. Shun moved next to me, and I found his tired amber eyes looking down at me.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" I shook my head and told him, "Can't." I thought back to how overjoyed I had been when I saw him and the other part of my friends. I thought it would be impossible to find them, but we did. He sighed, and I felt his chest rise as he took in the heavy breath. I moved my eyes up to look at him and asked, "What happened to you the night we all got separated?"

Shun brought his hand up and shook some sand from his hair. "I heard Feliciana and the dog sled team scream, so I ran forward to try and see if I could find any sign of them. But I ended up falling in this sand trap with the rest of them and was knocked unconscious till morning….What about you?"

I shrugged and said, "Guess we just wandered away from everyone else like the rest of the group." I ran my hand across the sand. It was cold on the top, but still warm underneath from the time it spent under the sun. I stared at the remains of the pitiful fire we attempted to build; it never stayed going for more than an hour at the most.

But that was surprising on its own since we had none of the materials to build one; we were only able to use some randomly scattered pieces of wood that were no bigger than my hand. It did its job thought and kept us somewhat warm as long as it burned.

Shun's gaze was fixed in front of him when his asked, "Do you think we'll find the rest of the people we brought with us? I don't mean all of them, but at least some." Again, I added together the odds that it took for us to run into Shun and the others.

They were slim on their own, and I knew the odds for finding over a hundred people in this huge desert, was impossible. Maybe we'd find a wanderer or two, but I really wasn't expecting we'd find anyone else. Not even Runo. I felt myself sadden with the thought of my loyal friend freezing out in the desert night, possibly not having anyone to share warmth with.

"I don't know if we'll find anyone else. I hope we do though," I responded. I blinked back a tear that was forming due to the thought of my closest friend being gone. It almost gave me as much grief as when I wondered if Shun was still alive or not.

Shun ran a hand through my hair, which relaxed me. It seemed to be doing the same for him as well because his eyes were starting to fight their way closed. Or maybe he was just tired and unable to sleep, unlike me. But with my hair being stroked, I felt myself starting to join him in that same state.

_Shun_

"I'm beginning to wonder if anyone even lives out in this over," Dan grumbled. Like anyone else, he had figured that a change of climate meant that we were upon another civilization of people. So far, the only people we had encountered were those Officials from the other day.

Murucho looked at the map and said, "There's something out here that's been circled. So, I'm guessing people do live out in this desert." It was kind of hard the grasp the concept if they did. What would anybody eat or drink in such an unforgiving place?

At least the Tribe people had some animals that lived in the Snow Zone that they could hunt for food. I heard the sound of somebody trying to hurl, and turned to see Marcus was the source. He coughed up nothing but his own stomach acid; not having eaten for a while.

The heat was getting to each of us in different ways, and was already taking its toll. The majority being in dehydration and over exposure to the heat. I prayed for the day I could finally wash away all the sweat and sand from my skin. I wasn't the only one thinking that either.

We all wore that kind of thought on our faces. Mainly Julie and Alice's; Feliciana looked like she could care less. Murucho growled in frustration and shook the map. "Gah!" Alice, Dan, and I stared at the blonde. The brunette told him, "Relax, Murucho."

Murucho whipped around and narrowed his eyes at Dan. "I'll relax when I can figure this map out! According to my calculations, we should be at the spot marked on this map, but do you see anything? Cause I don't," he snapped. He began stomping up and down on the sand like it would accomplish something.

All it did was make him look like a mad kid. He had been out in the sun and trying his best to steer us in the right direction, so I didn't say anything. If anything, Murucho needed to let out some steam. Alice, in her gentlest voice, said, "I'm sure we're near it, Murucho."

The short blonde hung his head down and sighed. A few feet from us, I saw Julie walking around and surveying the area when she fell and hit the hot sand. She sat up and said, "Darn it. I tripped on something sticking out of the ground." We walked over to her and looked around for what caused her to fall.

"I don't see anything, Julie," said Dan. Her eyes scanned the sand. "I know I felt my foot trip over something sticking out of the group- There it is!" she shouted. Julie pointed her index finger out in front of her. I saw the object, but had no clue what it was.

Alice helped Julie to her feet while the rest of us walked over to the mystery object jutting from the sand. Murucho knelt down and started brushing sand and dirt away from it, and we soon found out that whatever it was, it was big and buried beneath tons of sand.

Dan and Murucho dug down the side until we found the one thing that told us what it was. A window. This was a house that had been buried under the sand. But I doubted it was some elaborate design by people that lived in it. The cracks in the window's glass were proof of that. Feliciana was standing a good distance from the underground house we found.

She said, "I think I found what was marked on the map." When I looked closer, I noticed more similar looking things jutting out from under the sand. A sudden gust of wind, revealed even more of them. This was the most recent stop we had to make, and it wasn't even here anymore.

Taken away by sand and gone. It was a bittersweet discovery. Now we wouldn't have the worry about taking more people with us, or leaving them behind for the Officials. But now, our resting place was wiped off from the face of the Earth. Any food or water they may of have, was no longer there for us.

Feliciana asked Murucho, "Where do we go from here?" Murucho pulled out the map and told her, "Now that I'm certain where we're at….We need to go back that way." He motioned towards what he told us was South. That was the way when we first departed from on the start of our journey.

All this travel, and now we got to return back and scale the mountain and see what was on the other side of it. But the risks involved going by the City that was now overrun with Officials. It also meant I got to go back by my old home. I didn't want to. I didn't want to see what atrocities the Officials committed there; if there was anything left of it to look at.

"Let's get moving then," said Feliciana. Dan jumped in front of her, making her stop walking. "So you're just going to leave all the people we brought with us behind? What about your people?" Her eyes were cold and narrowed at the brunette.

She said bitterly, "My people haven't survived this heat. The only reason my sled team and I have is because we had food and water with us. The rest of the Tribe didn't. As much as I don't want to admit it, they're dead." I snuck a look at the sled team. Their heads were held low. They thought the same thing as well.

Maybe it was true. The Tribe people weren't designed to live through this kind of heat; they were so accustomed to the chilling climate of their homes. They probably were gone. All those people we brought with us, wouldn't get to see the end of our journey.

The only ones left of them were Feliciana and the sled team. I didn't feel all alone anymore though. I was the only Outcast left. But the Tribe was more closely relatable to Alice and her friends. They weren't the _last _one left alive from where they came from. Dan bowed up and snapped, "You might not have any faith that your people are alive, but I might want to make sure all of my friends are."

And by his friends, he meant Runo. Alice stepped between them and said, "How about we leave something behind in case anyone else finds this place?" Dan looked reluctant to the idea, but he knew we couldn't stay out here in this desert much longer. "Fine," he said and walked away from Feliciana.

Alice found a dried limb laying in the sand, and tore a piece of fabric from her tattered dress. She then tied it to the top of the stick, and stuck the other in into the sandy ground. Now, a little purple flag waved in the scorching wind. Dan made a quick remark.

"How will they know where to go from here if they do find it?" Murucho looked at the map, and found a way to secure it to the stick. "I can tell which way South is by looking at the sun. They need it more than us right now," he told us. I stared at the flag. The only signal that people once lived here. A marker of our most recent stop. Val was fanning himself and said, "Great. Can we get the hell out of this…Hell?"

In their eyes, I saw they didn't want to leave either. But they knew from the start that not everyone would make it through this journey. We started to walk South, and I turned to see Dan still staring at the makeshift flag. I glanced quickly at our moving group, and ran towards the brunette.

"Are you coming with us?" I asked, already knowing that he would. "What would you do if Alice was still out here? Would you leave, or stay and try and find her?" he asked, not taking his eyes from the purple flag. I sighed. "I'd stay and look for her if she was still out here. But that's my own decision. It's whatever you feel you should do," I told him.

He lowered his head. "I'd stay and look for her, but I don't even know where to start. I'm sure on my own I would die way before I found anybody. Guess all I can do is hope that they find this place," he said solemnly before walking after the others.

* * *

><p>wish me luck for tomorrow, for i have an English state test. (which will take most of the school day and will be boring us to death) read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	38. Bitter Memories

_Alice_

I felt bad about leaving the Desert Zone and not continuing our search for the rest of the people we brought with us. But the longer we stayed there, the more likely we were to suffer a terrible fate. And if we died before reaching our goal, then what was the point in leaving the City if we were going to die anyway? I decided not to dwell on those thoughts too much.

Just as Murucho said, we followed the rising and setting sun in order to keep our direction South. The only bad thing about following the sun; we couldn't travel at night. If we did, we ran the risk of losing our course of travel and getting lost till morning. Then, we would have to recover all the ground we lost, and Murucho didn't want that. But at the moment, we had plenty of sunlight to depend on, so there wasn't much reason to stop just yet.

The sand covered ground was starting to give way to gray ash. I smiled, happy that we were getting out of that agonizing desert. But we still had a ways to go before we were fully out of the sand-filled area. The only good thing to come from this transition in landscape, was the transition in temperature as well.

It had to be a good ten to twenty degrees cooler than back in the middle of the desert, and I knew it wasn't just because the sun was setting. Not even when night fell did the Earth cool down this quickly. Murucho made the point that we probably wouldn't go through the Snow Zone again due to where we were located.

In my opinion, that was a good thing. We didn't have to go through another unforgiving area, and Feliciana wouldn't have to deal with the experience of going back through her old homeland. The sun, finally gone from the sky, signaled our need to stop for the night.

None of us were worried about the Officials finding us. Maybe it was because of all the distance we traveled in one day. They should know better than to think that we out-walked the Officials. As most of us found out, they could pop up anywhere. Anytime.

But even I was feeling a sense of safety and security. Our expanded group huddled together in order to stay warm; although it wasn't as cold as it got back in the desert, it was still chilly. Too tired to find any materials, we went through the night without a fire, which was probably smart in case the Officials were near us.

It would mean one last thing to signal them with. I was leaning against Shun, who was already asleep. My arm brushed against his, and I felt a stinging sensation. When I looked down, I was able to see my red skin that had been burned by the sun.

I bit my lower lip, fretting the pain that would come when I started to recover from the sunburn. I wasn't the only one that was bright red. Almost everyone was, but I might have been burned worse due to my fair complexion. I ignored my burns, and looked up at the sky.

The moon was starting to reappear, and was at its halfway-full point once more. In another week or so, it would be completely full and filling the sky with its silvery light. Hopefully by then, we would be on the other side of the mountains and safe from all things that meant us harm.

I shut my eyes and let out a relaxed sigh. A place that was safe. It sounded so intoxicating when you thought about all that we had gone through. My mind still focusing on the unknown paradise that awaited us, I slipped into a dream that centered itself around it.

There was so much grass everywhere. And trees and bright flowers. Clouds floated by in the perfectly blue sky. Maybe this place wouldn't be exactly like this, but it was a dream, and I was going to enjoy it. I inhaled a big breath of the clean air; for once I didn't breathe in nothing but ash.

Birdsongs filled every inch of the place, adding more and more of a Eden-like feeling. I walked through the tall, unkempt grass, and ran my hand along the tops of the blades. "Alice." I looked forward to see who said my name, and my hand dropped by to my side. Standing in the sea of grass with me, was my grandfather.

Joy overcame me, but I didn't move. I only let my eyes fill with tears as memories of what happened to him returned to my mind. Memories that I had hoped to keep buried away in my mind. No longer did I allow this dream to be a reality. I forced myself to remember that it wasn't real.

That my grandfather was no longer with us. I shut my eyes tightly, shaking my head until I felt myself return to consciousness. I woke up, found myself leaning against Shun, and didn't want to go back to sleep from fear of having that dream again. But I did, and thankfully dreamt of something else.

_Shun_

Alice looked shaken up that morning, but whenever somebody asked if anything was wrong, she said she was fine. I didn't push any questions on her; thinking that she hadn't slept well like she had the other night. It was early dawn when we started moving again; Murucho didn't want to lose any daylight.

Before it was even noon, we were officially out of the desert, and one step closer to the our goal. It was a strange feeling, being near the end of this long and treacherous journey. How would things be when it was all over? Surely it would feel different than how things used to be.

People would have to adjust to a new place and change their old habits to become accustomed to the new surroundings we could encounter. As the sun passed its high noon mark, we were closing in the Lake Zone. I could help but let my mind wander about what it would look like now.

None of us saw what became of it after the Officials attacked. Even from afar, I could see that buildings and houses were gone, and swarms of buzzards flew overhead. I felt sick as I remembered all the people that stayed behind and were slain by the Officials' armies.

And thinking about scavenger birds eating them, didn't help my knotted up stomach either. Marquis and Val wanted to see their old home. None of us protested their choice. Alice, her friends, and I followed behind him. We were curious ourselves. This was our first stop.

This was where we first learned about our mission. This was our first paradise. It didn't look like anything that we remembered. Craters lined the ground, skeletal remains of charred buildings laid on the ground, and the lake was dried up; leaving dead fish, plants, and grounded boats behind.

This once thriving place, was now consumed by the Wastelands and had become a place of death and bad memories. I couldn't help but think that this was what the world looked like when the nuclear war ended; a dead and lifeless place.

Marquis sighed and said, "There's nothing else to see here. Let's keep on-" He stopped mid-sentence and stared out across the dried up lake. Val tilted his head to the sided and asked, "What are you looking at, Marquis?" Val blinked a couple of times as his eyes fell on whatever it was Marquis saw.

We were still looking for it, when I finally saw somebody sitting on the remains of the boat dock across the lake. Marquis took a step forward and shouted, "Brunswick!" The sitting person looked up at us, and Val and Marquis took off. For people that hadn't eaten or had anything to drink in days, they had found a sudden burst of energy that took them across the lake, and to their old friend.

We eventually caught up with the two of them. Sure enough, the man that was sitting on the boat dock was Brunswick. He looked the same other than being a little sunburned and dirty; that was how most of us looked at the moment. Val couldn't help by smile when he said, "What? How?"

Brunswick patted his friend's shoulder and said, "I wandered through the desert after we were all separated, and after a while, I came upon this old place again. I've been here ever since." Marquis smiled and said, "All we have left to do is get to those mountains, then we're home free. Now you can come with us."

Brunswick sat back down on the boat dock and stared out at the empty lake. "Maybe I'll catch up with you guys later. I'm going to stay here and remember what this place used to be." Marquis and Val began to protest their friend's choice. Brunswick only stared blankly in front of him.

"Let the man remember what his home used to be." We all turned to see Feliciana standing behind us. She didn't say anything else, and returned to the group of people that we left standing at the top of a hill. None of us added to Feliciana's comment, or tried to pull Brunswick along with us.

Instead, we walked up the hill and continued on our way. I was sure Brunswick would join us in the end, but spending some time reminiscing might do him some good for his soul. It would do him a lot better than seeing my old home would do for me.

The sun vanished from the sky, but not by it setting. Instead, it was blocked out by gray storm clouds. A light wind picked up as well. The City was now within our sights, and so was the finish line to our journey. Although, it would probably be another day's walk if the ran arrived today or tonight.

As the group started to walk towards the mountains, I stayed glued in my place and said, "Can we wait for a moment. I want to check something." Alice immediately knew what I was up to. She asked, "Shun, are you sure you want to?" I sighed, knowing that it wouldn't be easy for me to face my old demons, but I wanted to.

I nodded, letting her know I was sure about going through my old home. I took a deep breath and cautiously approached the location of where I grew up, being careful that nobody in the City saw me walking out there. There wasn't much to see.

The weak and poorly built houses were apparently no match for the wrath of the Officials because there was nothing left but a little bit of rubble. I couldn't even tell that people had once lived there. I had the bite back the threatening sob in the back of my throat.

I started to hear the sounds of the Outcasts as they were attacked by the Officials, and I wanted nothing more than to cover my ears. But Alice and the others were watching me from behind, I didn't want them thinking that I was going crazy. Unable to stand there any longer, I turned around and walked back towards the others.

Alice walked up to me and asked softly, "You okay?" I nodded, not really to let her know I was alright, but more for my own need. She didn't seem to believe me cause she asked, "You sure?"

I told her, "Yes, I'm sure. Now let's get out of here before the Officials spot us." She still didn't believe me; I didn't even believe myself. But she didn't press the subject any further, and we kept on our path just as the rain started to fall.

* * *

><p>sorry for not uploading yesterday. i took the english state test and was so tired of english and words and stories, that i didnt want to have anything to do with them. but i'm over my shellshock now. so, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	39. Execution

_Shun_

Although Alice was leaving the topic alone, I knew she was trying to see if I really was okay. I might have looked it on the outside, but I felt nowhere near okay on the inside. Seeing my old home, the place I grew up in, gone and leveled to the ground was more shock than I had braced myself for.

But it only fueled my loathing towards the Officials all the more. The images of my flattened home brought along the chilling memory of the nightmare I had in the City before we left on our trip through the Wastelands. I shivered when I remembered the buildings and houses left as nothing more than smoldering ash, and the crows flying around overhead. Seeing it for real wasn't as bad as my nightmare, but it was a close second.

The darkening clouds above us were bringing the storm they head closer and closer to us. I knew we would be caught out in the rain when it hit, but that was a good thing. It would give us a chance to have the dirt washed away. A bright bolt of lightning cut the sky in have, and was shortly followed by a low rumble of thunder. I saw Murucho gulp.

The short blonde said, "Do you guys think we should be walking through here during the storm?" In this wide open area, it probably wasn't the safest place in the world, with the lightning and all. Dan held his hand out like he was presenting the Wastelands to Murucho. "Where should we take shelter. The only places are the City, or the mountain, both of which, are the same distance from us."

The wind suddenly picked up, throwing ash up with in like miniature tornadoes. I lifted my arm up to shield my eyes and face from the ash. This wasn't just a run-of-the-mill storm. No, this one felt like it was bringing something along with it. A warning of something bad, perhaps?

There was no telling. Marquis turned his back to the wind, facing us, and yelled, "We need to hurry up and get to the mountain as fast as we can before this storm gets any worse!" With the wind it would be difficult to run as it pushed back in order to keep us from our goal.

The darkening sky and lightning weren't helping us out that much either. We pressed on though, not wanting to give up when we were so close. The excitement we felt when we finally reached the foot of the mountain was indescribable. All the pain and suffering we went through, and now it would slowly start to come to an end as we made our way to the other side.

The little celebration we were having was cut short. Coming from the City, was a small army of Officials marching towards us. Their numbers drastically toppled ours, and being caught by them would be a worst case scenario. Val shouted at us, "Start making your way up!"

We ran into the forest that grew on the mountain. Thanks to the dark sky, we couldn't see everything in front of us, and I constantly was running into tree limbs and roots. I saw that I wasn't the only one stumbling around. While running, we ran into something. A wall that had stopped us cold.

In front of us was an old chain link fence that had apparently survived all these years. It stretched what seemed like down the entire mountain. While we tried to hunt for a way under or through the fence, I looked down at the foot of the mountain and saw the Officials were getting near.

Murucho grabbed onto the fence and shouted, "Climb!" All of us started to try and climb the fence, but the rain had started and made the rusty metal difficult to get a grip on, along with our panic. There was no way we would be able to get over the fence before the Officials reached us.

The rain came down in sheets, even breaking through the treetops above us. Below, the Officials started their ascent of the mountain. I saw the rifles they always carried around. The same kind that had almost killed me three times.

Trapped and unarmed, we would be able to do nothing but stand there and take whatever the Officials dealt out. I could hear them now. They would say how we had given them so much trouble, and now we were at their mercy by being trapped against a fence. What irony.

We survived snowstorms and deserts and everything else in between. Now, we were done in by this. They emerged from the trees we just ran through, and looked surprised to see us standing there. The confused looks on their faces vanished when they saw we were back against the fence and trapped.

Now, they wore smiles and grins. I felt Alice get closer to me for safety. There wasn't much I could do for her now, but I would try my best. One of the Officials stepped forward, and I felt the hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end. It was the same psychotic guy who had almost killed me more times than I felt like counting.

He wore a grin and said, "Now isn't this a lovely site." He was pacing back and forth, eyeing each of us like a predator eyes its prey. And that was just how I felt. I highly doubted that I would get lucky and live this time. The odds were against us.

An Official behind the one pacing said, "Nero, hurry. Xavier wanted us to get this over with and return back to the City." At least now I knew this sadistic person's name. And a fitting one at that. Nero turned around and snapped at the Official, "I will take however long I want to, Yuri. They're trapped, so I have all the time in the world."

His eyes scanned each one of us, and they stopped on Alice. A sly grin crossed his face, and before I could react, he snatched her from behind me. "Hey! Let her go!" I yelled. Nero held her wrists tightly, and she kept trying to slid from his hold, but he didn't even seem to notice she was struggling.

He looked at her, still smiling that smile that made me want to slap it off his face. "Now, aren't you a pretty one? I've never noticed it till now." Alice's struggle against him was starting to stop as she grew tired. I wanted to run over there and make him suffer.

Not only for what he was doing to Alice, but to everything he had done to all of us. But I knew the moment I made a move for him, one of the Officials behind him would shoot me dead. That was just what Nero wanted. "Please, let her go," I begged as I started to feel helpless to do anything.

Behind me, I heard Dan shout, "Didn't you hear him? Let her go! You've already got us where you want us, so don't make it worse than it has to be." Nero acted like he didn't hear either of us. He kept his evil grin and face towards Alice when he said, "You and your friends have caused us a lot of trouble, little girl. You know that, don't you?"

He tapped his fingers along her cheek, making her try to jerk away even more. He was playing with me. He wanted me to lose it and go at him so I could be shot. How low and cowardly was somebody who used emotions as a weapon?

I felt useless. No matter what I did, I wouldn't be able to help her. Nero continued to gaze down at her. He said calmly, "This is no fun anymore." I thought for a split second he was going to throw her back to us, but I realized I was wrong when he snapped his fingers and the Official, Yuri, stepped out of the group, rifle in hand.

My eyes widened and I shouted, "No! Don't!" I started to run towards them, but was stopped by Dan and Val. Dan said to me, "You go over there, you'd be doing what they want you to. Besides, they're going to kill us all anyway. So what's it matter." What did it matter?

I didn't want to watch Alice be shot to death before my eyes. That's what mattered. I didn't try and run over there anymore, but Dan and Val continued to hold me back just in case. Yuri started to lift the rifle, and Alice shut her eyes tightly.

I didn't want to watch, so I turned my head to the side and stared at the ground. I heard a body hit the ground, but no gunshot. When I glanced up, I saw Yuri laying on the ground, a handmade arrow sticking out through his chest and shoulders. Everyone looked around for the source of the arrow that killed Yuri.

Nero growled and yelled, "Who's there!" Another arrow shot and hit his hand, making him release Alice. She ran back over to us and wrapped her arms around me. As much as I wanted to, I didn't hug her back. Instead, I made her get behind me for protection.

If they tried to get her again, I wasn't going to allow it. _I should have never allowed it in the first place._ Nero clutched his hand, a faint line of blood coming from where the arrow hit him. It mixed with the blood of Yuri on the ground, which had begun to dilute from the pelting rain.

"Find whoever shot that damn thing!" he shouted. His Officials began to look around. I started to look around as well. Next to me, I heard Marquis whisper, "No way. Look up there." I followed his eyes and saw Brunswick was perched up in a tree branch.

He had a handmade bow and arrow that I had seen him shoot in the water to kill and catch fish with. He shot several more, dropping Officials left and right. Nero, still holding his injured hand, commanded, "Fall back! Fall back!" His Officials started running from the scene, leaving behind their fallen comrades.

Once they were all gone, Brunswick dropped down from the tree he was in. He began to retrieve the arrows he shot, and put them back in their quiver. Marquis told him, "Thank God you showed up when you did, Brunswick." I was grateful as well.

If he hadn't shot Yuri or at Nero, Alice might have been killed. I turned around to make sure she was okay. She nodded and said, "Yeah. I-I'm fine. A l-little shaken up." I wrapped my arms around her, as if to make sure that she really was there.

Brunswick took back his last arrow and said, "I'm not the only one who showed up." All of us stared at him, unsure to what he was talking about. He waved his hand for us to follow him, and we did. As we returned to the foot of the mountain, we saw people standing around.

They were standing around in the ran, some of them drinking it as it fell from the sky. It was the people we lost in the desert. Not all of them, but a good many. I noticed there wasn't very many elderly people in the crowd. That wasn't surprising.

They wouldn't have lasted very long in that heat. Overall, there had to be two-thirds of the people we lost in the desert. Brunswick said, "They were walking towards the old lake when I saw them. They apparently found your signal that you left behind."

I saw Dan searching the crowd, but I knew he wouldn't find what he was looking for because I had already searched for the blue-haired girl. She wasn't anywhere among the people. He walked up to a woman from the lake and asked, "Have you seen Runo?"

I walked closer to them. The woman's face grew grim as she said, "She was with us while we were in the desert. But we were ambushed by the Officials. We thought at first that they lived out in the desert, but when they pulled out their guns, we realized they didn't. They started to attack us, but when they saw the girl, two of them took her away while the rest stayed behind and attacked us. I don't know what they did with her after that."

Dan's face looked expressionless when he thanked the woman for her time. He started to walk back over to us, leaving our newly reunited refugees behind. "Those Officials…..They have Runo." Julie covered her mouth with her hand to hide the shock that was on her face.

Alice just stared at Dan as if he were speaking in another language. "Are you serious?" Murucho asked. Dan nodded and clenched his hands into fists. "Yeah. And I want to find them and make them pay for anything they may have done to her." Brunswick didn't look impressed with Dan's decision.

"And what do you plan on doing?" he asked. Dan looked at the tall bearded man and told him, "I'll go in the City and take it from there." Brunswick had to bend over to meet Dan's gaze. He said sternly, "And the moment you step foot in there, you're dead. I hope you know that."

Dan narrowed his eyes and nodded. "I do know that, and I don't care. I'm tired of running and taking all the crap they're giving us. I want it to end. One way or another," the brunette said harshly. "I do too." We turned and saw Val had his hand raised as he stepped forward.

He added, "I'm getting tired of this as well." Marquis joined in, "Me too. After what just happened back there in the forest, I want some payback." Several more people added in their voices, each one of them tired of being beneath the Officials' iron fist. Dan looked around at the group of people that had collected around him.

He said, "Well, it's settled. If you want to go to the City and give the Officials what they deserve, then we'll go." There had to be no more than fifteen people that had gathered around him, including himself and Marquis and Val. Brunswick asked Dan, "And how do you plan on fighting back against the Officials? They have rifles, remember?"

Dan smiled, apparently thinking this part through. He pointed up to the mountain and said, "Thanks to you, Brunswick, we have guns as well." He meant the guns of the Officials that Brunswick shot with his arrows. They would still be loaded with ammo, but there would be a limited amount.

Plus, there were only about ten rifles up there, which meant not everyone would get a weapon of their own. Brunswick smiled and said, "I see you've thought this through pretty well for somebody from the City. Alright. You're going to need some extra strength, so I would be glad to accompany you on this mission."

Dan smiled and thanked Brunswick. Feliciana heard what was going on, and said she would go along as well. I saw her weapon of choice in her hand; that rope that flung rocks fast enough to break a skull. Marquis and Val went back up the mountain to retrieve the guns from the dead Officials.

Brunswick looked at the City and said, "They'll probably be back after regrouping. We need to get the people that aren't going with us, over that fence and send them on their way so they don't get involved in this mess." Once Marquis and Val got the guns piled together, they along with Brunswick, began to help people over the rusted chain link fence.

Alice was the last one helped over. She started to walk off, but turned around when she realized I wasn't behind her. "Aren't you coming with us?" I shook my head and told her, "I decided I was going to go with them to the City." After what they did to her, and how they used her against me, I wanted my own form of payback.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked. I only heard the truth behind her question. _Don't do that._ She was worried I would get killed by going into the City and fighting back at the Officials. That was a possibility I would face. "I'm sure. Now, go on before you get left behind by the others," I told her and smiled to let her know everything was alright.

She nodded and said, "Okay. Be careful, Shun." She placed her hand on the fence, and I did the same. "I will," I said and turned to join the small army that had been assembled. Dan saw me clear out from the woods. "You're coming with us?" he asked. I nodded and said, "Have a problem with that?"

He shook his head and handed me one of the rifles. "Not a bit. We need all the help we can get." I stared down at the gun, remembering the end of one being hit into the side of my skull. I was sure that there would be much more pain coming than just that. Ready at last, our small army walked through the rain and towards the City.

* * *

><p>sorry for not uploading yesterday. i wasnt expecting to get my hair cut and all this other stuff. if my history is correct (sorry if it's not cause i havent heard this since 7th grade) Nero is a Roman emperor or something like that, who burned Rome. I thought it was fitting with the Official's name. seeing as he's kinda touched in the head. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	40. Strike

_Alice_

Thanks to the falling rain, the earthen ground of the mountain had become nothing short of a mudslide, making it increasingly difficult to keep on walking up. My legs were burning from exerting this much energy to go up the steep incline. All around me, people were falling and sliding around in the mud every time they lost their footing. Any other day, we might have been laughing.

But this was no time to laugh. So many of the ones we cared for, had sent us on our ways and turned to storm the City. Shun was among those people, and I couldn't help but be sick with worry. The little army they were using to fight with, was dwarfed greatly by the Officials.

I hoped they didn't get shot down before they even reached the fence. The rain was starting to ease up, but the clouds told a story about there being more to come. I didn't like this weather. It felt like the world was crying as it watched more of its people get killed each day.

Somebody else lost their footing and fell down in the mud. We were now high enough on the mountain, that we could see down into the City. It looked so small and insignificant from this height, almost like there was nothing bad there. But I knew better. We all knew better.

Murucho was trudging through the mud next to me. I told him, "I want to stay here until they're done fighting down there." We both stopped walking. I was looking at the City, Murucho was looking up at me. He said, "Alice, I want to see our friends come back to, but we can't have everyone stop when we're so close."

Julie noticed that we stopped following the group, and she hurried down to us. "What's going on, guys?" she asked. Murucho wiped the rain from his glasses lens and told her, "Alice wants to wait here for the ones who went down to the City to fight." The rain was no longer falling for the time being, but I knew it wouldn't be like that for very long.

That ominous tension in the air ensured that for me. Now Julie was looking at me as well. I didn't like having two sets of eyes on me. She said, "I can see why she'd want to do that." Murucho took his intense gaze from me, and planted it on Julie.

"What?" he asked surprisingly. The silver-haired girl shrugged and said, "I want to see who all comes back as well." Murucho, obviously feeling outnumbered, sighed and said, "You can wait here for them if you want. And I'll stay as well cause even I want to see if our friends come back."

I smiled down at him and said, "Thanks for understanding, Murucho." He did his little kid laugh that I couldn't resist but to smile at. The refugees continued their trek up the mountain, not even aware that they were minus three people.

All of our eyes locked on a log, which we gladly sat down on. I was filled with memories of being back at the lake and gathered around the small fires and eating fish and rice while talking with Brunswick and his friends. The logs was slick from the rain, and bits of the decaying bark stuck to anything it could get a hold of.

The silence was welcoming; the only noise was that of water falling from leaves and birds chirping with the end of the storm. None of us spoke either because we didn't want to ruin this peaceful silence, or because there was nothing to say. Instead, we sat on the log and waiting to hear the gunfire of rifles fill the air and break the peace of nature.

_Shun_

Instead of going headfirst into the City by slipping through the fence, Dan made the point of going through the underground tunnel if we were able to get inside. We had used it in order to escape from the City when the cleansing began.

I remembered how I hated the small, dark and musty place that had never seen daylight as long as it had existed. Now, we were using it as a means of returning into the City. The threat was no different though. There was still a great chance that none of us would make it out and end up leaving behind friends and families.

_At least they should be safe._ But it was clear that none of us were going down without taking a good number of Officials with us. We found the secret entrance that led under the Wastelands and into the City. The hatch was still caved in from when we pulled it down in order to get out.

But when we dug up the ashes and debris we left behind, there was enough room for even Brunswick to fit through. Sadly, we had no light to help guide us through the tunnel, so we were feeling blindly in front of us to make sure we didn't run into anything. In the darkness, it felt like the path would never end.

But of course, it eventually did. Dan pushed the hatch up, and looked around. Just like we expected, we were in the elderly couple's home. But it wasn't in the same condition we left it in. The whole place was torn apart. One by one, our fifteen person army climbed out of the tunnel and into the damaged home.

Brunswick peered out of a window and looked around outside. He said, "Looks like there aren't any Officials walking around out there, so we're okay for now." Ten of us held rifles; the five that didn't have one, didn't need one. They were strong enough on their own and could make a weapon out of anything. Feliciana was one of those people.

Marquis was double-checking the ammo in his rifle and said, "So, what's the plan?" We all exchanged looks at one another. What we would do if we made it into the City, hadn't even come into our thoughts.

We were all too focused on getting near the City without being shot a pointblank range. Feliciana folded her arms and said, "Probably would be a good idea to come up with one." We nodded and sat up a table that had been knocked over and began to plot our attack.

_Shun_

Once we settled on an attack plan, we left the abandoned house and started towards our newest goal. We would do a direct attack on the headquarters of the Officials, taking out any that may be standing guard or walking around on the way.

What could be a better way to take them out than attacking the source of their orders and commands. We split into five groups of three; my group consisted of me, Dan, and Feliciana. Marquis, Val, and Brunswick split off into their own group.

The goal was to surround the headquarters and take it from all sides. Hopefully, we would be able to get that far to the plan. If that went well, then we would just go from there. The three of us had our weapons at the ready as we rounded the corner. You would have thought that there would be more guards standing around the Officials' headquarters.

But there was only one, and he was asleep on the concrete stairs. Not wanting to take any chances of drawing more Officials, Dan and I let Feliciana take this one. She found a nice sized rock on the ground, and put it into her weapon. She then slung the rock from the weapon, and it hit dead on target; the temple of the Official's head.

He grunted and fell over. When we got closer to him, I saw the thin line of red blood trickling down from where the rock hit him. I wasn't able to tell if he was unconscious or dead, but I didn't want to waste time to find out. Dan, Feliciana, and I ran up the concrete steps and into the headquarters, where we met more resistance.

The Officials that were inside were taken off guard by our sudden arrival. Feliciana was putting anything she could into her rope weapon, and began dropping Officials left and right as quickly as she could. Dan and I were shooting the rifles that we had taken from dead Officials back at the mountain, and took some out as well.

But we quickly began to run out of ammo, and Feliciana was running out of things to turn into deadly projectiles. When the Officials saw this, they started to close in on us like ravenous animals that realized their prey was injured. Dan and I kept the rifles in our hands, even though they were worthless for shooting, we could still use them as blunt objects like Nero had used on me.

As they closed in on us, glass shattered behind us, and we found an arrow sticking out of the shoulder of an Official. He dropped to the ground, twitching a little before going still. Several more arrows broke through the glass window behind us, and more Officials fell to the tile floor.

The room no longer housed a threat to us. The bodies of Officials laid scattered around us. Some of them were moaning in pain, others weren't even making any movements that suggested they had any life left in them. I didn't like the idea that most of them were dead, but then I remembered all the pain they had caused us, and I saw their punishment fitting and well deserved.

We turned around, already knowing where the arrows came from. Brunswick, Marquis, and Val stepped through the door. Glass cracked underneath the weight of their feet as they strode across the room to join us. The other nine members of our army followed in behind them.

Our mission to surround and take the outside of the headquarters was a success. But I couldn't help but feel that it had been too easy. Or that we should have been expecting more Officials. Dan shouted, "Come on! We need to hurry up and find Xavier before he slips past us!" Xavier, the one calling all the shots for the Officials, was a golden target. If we took him down, then confusion would surely follow among any remaining Officials.

Our people ran through the headquarters, and busted into Xavier's office. It was empty. There was a chorus of clicks behind us, and we slowly turned around to be faced with barrels of guns and about twenty Officials. They parted and Nero walked down the opening they made.

He wore that same grin when he said, "Isn't this a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting a visit. Were you, Andrew?" The Official too his left shook his head without showing any signs of emotion. Nero continued, "I hate to break up this nice little reunion, but we can't let you get away from us this time. Take care of them."

The guns were aimed at us again. My eyes began to scan for any sign of escape. They finally found a window that was open. Now, I was looking back and forth between the window and the Officials. "Run!" I shouted and made a mad dash for the window. Gunshots fired, but Dan and the others caught on quickly to what I was doing.

I slipped through the window and ran down the street. I snuck a quick glance behind me and saw Marquis, Val, Brunswick, Dan, Feliciana, and several others running away from the building. They quickly caught up with me and ducked into the nearest building we could find.

I counted how many people we had with us. Eight total. The rest of our fifteen either hadn't gotten out of harm's way soon enough or hadn't seem where we took refuge. We were panting heavily. Marquis patted my shoulder and said, "That was quick thinking back there."

I was trembling too much to respond to what he was saying. As I started to calm down, I noticed where I was at. We were in the jail that I had been in when Nero arrested me. There was a moaning coming from the hall that housed the cells. Curious, Dan, Feliciana, and I walked towards the sound to check it out.

The cells were filled with people; most of them dead or almost dead. The moaning was coming from somebody that I recognized that was an Official. Next to me, Dan said, "That's Clay." The Official was a bloodied mess. Worse than I had been when I was beaten.

Dried blood stained the floor around him, and his pale skin looked brighter against the dark floor. He looked like a ghost, and I knew he wouldn't last much longer. Dan had gone ahead and was walking down the rest of the hall of cells, looking in each one of them and at the people who were hanging onto life.

He then froze, and I was able to see his eyes widen. He dropped down to his knees and stared into a cell. Feliciana and I hurried over to him, and we both froze when we saw the blue-haired girl laying on the floor. I watched her ribs rise and fall with each breath. Dan held onto one of the cell bars and said breathlessly, "Runo."

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><p>sorry for not uploading the past few days. i've been helping a friend with a project and have been getting home at 9 at night. but as far as i know, i'm done with helping her, so i should be able to upload again. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	41. A Much Worse Fate

_Shun_

Dan stared between the bars of the cell. His face showed shock from the fact that we found Runo, when everything seemed to be screaming that she was dead. He snapped out of his trance and said harshly, "Find the key and get her out of here!" Me and Brunswick searched around for the key; or anything that might get the heavy iron cage open.

From my previous stay here, I recalled the key being hung on the wall. Sure enough, I saw it dangling in the same place; against the wall next to a door. "Over there," I said and pointed to it. Dan didn't even hesitate. He flew past me and Brunswick and snatched the key from the hook. I knew he cared for and worried about this girl, but I didn't think it was to this extent.

For all I knew, I would have been doing the same thing if it was Alice on the other side of that cell. Emotions make you do crazy things without realizing it. Dan shoved the key into the lock and turned it. I heard the locking mechanism turned as the gears unlocked from each other.

Dan swung the cell door open and ran to the unconscious girl's side. Brunswick, Val, Marquis, Feliciana, and I slowly walked in behind him. We remained quiet as Dan tried to wake Runo. I saw no blood on the floor like I did back at Clay's cell, but that didn't mean that the Officials hadn't done something to her. Dan was now begging her to wake up and was shaking her shoulders.

If she didn't wake up, I didn't want to be around to know how Dan would react. Since the separation in the desert, I was sure that all of us thought Runo was gone from this world. But upon hearing that she was taken away by the Officials, we had a spark of hope for a moment.

That faded when we remembered, she was taken by _Officials._ The thoughts of the torments she may have been subjected to danced through our thoughts, and we knew they probably wouldn't let her live. I was truly surprised that she was here, and still breathing.

She coughed a little, then her eyes slowly opened as she woke from her slumber. "Dan?" she asked softly, but I could still hear the confusion in her voice. "What are you doing here?" Her tone made it seem like she had woken from a peaceful slumber, or just came out of a wonderful dream.

It was hard to tell by her voice that she had been locked away in a prison for God knows how long. Dan hugged her and said, "I was worried." I thought about all the times I had been worried about Alice, and how she had worried about me. I knew that's what she was doing right now.

She was up on that mountain, worrying herself sick about how things were playing out down here. Moans came from back down the hallway. I left out of the cell, leaving Dan and the others in there, and followed the sounds of pain. They were coming from Clay. He had stirred sometime while we were trying to rouse Runo.

His glazed over eyes found me through the metal bars. They looked dead and blank, and I wondered if there really was any life left in him at all. "They've gone mad," he said weakly, his voice gruff and hoarse. I looked back down the hall to see if anyone was coming down to join me at this cell.

They all were still tending to Runo, and I looked back down at the beaten Official. "You have to hurry and get out of here," he told me. None of us were leaving till we got as much of our job done as we could. He said, "Run and get out of here like you did last time." I felt my thoughts freeze.

Did he recognize me? It wouldn't be much of a surprise. When everything went crazy, I was surely described to every Official in the City. But in his beaten and disoriented state, could he even have the ability to remember who I was? It had been some time, and he had been in this prison for no telling how long.

"Don't blame the others. Blame Xavier. He's the one at fault. Not all of us wanted to do this," he said grimly. His eyes stared up blankly at the ceiling of his cell. They hardly looked at me when he spoke. I didn't know if I should believe Clay, or if I should take his word as the ramblings of a crazy, abused person.

I did blame Xavier, but I also blamed every other Official that was still walking around. If they didn't want to do what they did, then they could have turned against Xavier. None of them had to follow his orders. They could have turned around and locked him away in this same prison.

But they didn't, so I had no other choice but to blame them for what they've done. Even if they were just following orders. "They're mad with power," Clay said. "Abusing it cause they can and saying that this is right." I agreed with him on that matter. They had abused their power from the day the Officials were formed.

And now they couldn't contain this lack of control any longer, and its results were the deaths of so many people. It was mass exodus that none of them could contain. _As if they had any desire to from the start._ Clay's eyes moved from the ceiling to me. They grew a little wider and he said weakly, "Run."

I raised an eyebrow, then turned around to see what had disturbed him so much. It was a good thing I had, or else an Official with a mace would have killed me. I ducked down as he swung the spiked iron ball on a handle. It kept going and hit the rock wall of the prison, taking chunks of the stone with it.

The noise alerted the others from down the hall. Brunswick, Val, Dan, Marquis, and Feliciana came running out of the cell. When they saw the Official with the mace trying to crush my skull in, they immediately ran to help me. Feliciana, surrounded by loose rocks, had a surplus of ammo.

She already had a stone in place when Brunswick loaded an arrow into his bow. Both the projectiles shot past my head and hit the attacking Official behind me. He stumbled back and leaned against the wall. Then, he slowly slide down to the floor, leaving a trail of red blood behind like a paintbrush.

Val ran past me and peered out the door to check for anymore. "I think he's the only one," he said. I was able to see the person we had posted as guard. His head was crushed in from the Official's weapon. The bloody mess made my stomach do a flip, but I had seen much gorier recently, so it didn't bother me all that much.

It was still disturbing though. Marquis stared at the dead Official and said, "They must be searching buildings for us and he was the only one checking here." Brunswick took his arrow back and said, "If that's the case, then we need to get out of here before they do a double check.

Last thing we need is more of them showing up." Val took the mace from the Official's lifeless hand and looked at it. Brunswick asked him, "And what do you plan on doing with that?" Val shrugged and told him, "Never know when an extra edge will come in handy." He rigged something up and tied the medieval weapon around his waist, but left it where he could easily gain access to it if the time came.

Dan ran back and gathered up Runo. He was using himself as a prop to hold her up and said, "We need to get her out of here. It's too dangerous and if they catch her again, then they'll probably kill her this time." We all looked at one another. Marquis told him, "Alright. I will get one of the others to take her to the mountain and get her back with the rest of the group."

Dan thanked him and handed over the weak girl to him. When Marquis found somebody that was willing to leave the fight behind, he handed her over and left her in the hands of an unarmed man. He would have to slip past any Official and make it through the Wastelands and to the mountain without being caught.

If he took the underground tunnel, I was sure he would make it out safely. Before I followed the others out of the prison, I stopped and looked in Clay's cell. He had warned me in time and saved my life. I wanted to thank him.

When I was about to open my mouth and speak, I realized that his eyes held a new kind of look. A truly dead look. As I looked closer, I saw that he wasn't breathing anymore, and all the color was gone from him. My eyes went from him and to the dead Official that he had warned me of. I said to myself, "Maybe all Officials aren't so bad after all."

_Alice_

The gunfire had quieted down sometime ago. It had been the only sounds of battle we had heard, and it ended as quickly as it began. My mind couldn't help but think that the Officials had killed all of the people that went to the City to fight. I was fiddling with my thumbs as we sat down on the log.

Julie and Murucho were beside me, both of them looking as calm and relaxed as ever. But I was sure they were worried like I was. I had scuffed a place in the mud with my foot and it began to reveal little roots and bugs that were underneath the wet dirt. Julie stood up and said, "Hey, somebody's coming this way."

My first thought was Dan, Shun, and the rest of the people they took with them. But I also feared that it was Officials, proving my worries to be right. When I stood up to see for myself, it was one person who was carrying another. The thing that stood out for me was the bright blue hair tied in pigtails.

Murucho's eyes widened and he said loudly, "That's Runo! That's Runo!" The three of us ran to the rusted chain link fence to meet them. The person carrying them was one of the people that went to fight in the City. I felt my pace slowing down when I saw that it was only him. _Please tell me he's not all that's left._

I was looking behind him, hoping to see Shun or Dan. Julie asked the question that was bugging me. "Where are the others?" The guy helped Runo over the fence, where Julie was waiting on the other side to help her down. The guy told us, "They're back in the City and just sent me to get her to safety."

Julie wasn't listening to him and became preoccupied with the return of Runo. I saw he was leaving and asked quickly, "Who all is left?" He stopped and tapped his chin as he thought. "Let's see. About seven or eight of us. There's me, Brunswick, Val, Marquis, that girl, Dan, and Shun. Or at least, that was who was left when I snuck out of the City."

I felt a wave of relief when I found out both Shun and Dan were still alive. The guy then told us, "Now, I have to get back to the City and return to the fight." I didn't stop him with anymore questions, and allowed my attention to shift back to Runo. She was telling us what happened to her after the Officials took her back to the City.

They tried to torment information out of her, but she didn't give them anything of use. So, they locked her up in the City's prison. They could have killed her, but maybe they thought that there was still some information she was withholding from them.

I hugged her and told her how thankful I was that she was back with us and safe. I began to hope that Shun or any of the others were captured because they would most certainly fall victim to a much worse fate.

* * *

><p>i'm sorry i didnt update yesterday. we had a horrible event happen at our school. we lost one of my fellow classmates due to a car crash they had tuesday, and i attended his memorial that night and was in no mental shape to write. i'm in much better condition to write now, though. and please, for those of you who drive. be careful out there. don't show out for your friends cause you have a car or license. there is no reason for something like this to happen again. i ask that you all keep his family in your thoughts, even though you don't know them. and read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	42. Take Over

_Shun_

No longer feeling safe by hiding in the City's prison, we snuck out from the back and went through the alleyways. Brunswick and Marquis stayed ahead of us in order to keep an eye out for any wandering Officials. Making our way back to the headquarters to find Xavier wouldn't be easy.

Most likely he had gone into hiding after our initial attack on the headquarters. Or maybe he was still there and wasn't thinking anything of us. I doubted he saw us as any kind of threat to him. We were nothing more than pests that would be killed by the hands of his Officials.

We rounded another corner, rifles at the ready for anybody that tried to attack us. Things looked clear, so we kept on our way. Dan whispered to us, "Alright, the headquarters should be just up ahead." Who better to know where the headquarters were than Dan, a person who once looked up to the Officials more than anyone else? We had to relocate the building after we veered off course, and Dan was the only one of our group that knew the City.

Brunswick looked out into a street and gave us the signal to let us know it was safe. We gave him a nod and shot across to the other side. Now we had made a loop around and had returned to the headquarters. It was much more guarded this time, and I feared to know what kind of resistance we would meet inside.

Dan was still on the other side of the street, for he had yet to cross over and join us. I saw one of the Officials spot him; Dan didn't even know he was in their sight. The Official raised his rifle and had it pointed at Dan from the distance.

I reacted by lifting my own stolen rifle and shot the Official before he had the chance. Dan realized what was going on, and ran across the street as quickly as he could before the rest of the Officials had time to react. He was panting, and leaned against the wall of a house to recompose himself.

Feliciana asked him, "Are you okay, Dan?" He nodded then looked at me. "Thanks," he said. I didn't think he knew I was the one who shot the Official, but it didn't matter. Instead of saying anything, I nodded my head. Our group was on the move again, and we were slowly getting closer and closer to the headquarters once more.

I saw the window that we escaped out of before the Officials had time to shoot us dead. "How about we go back through the window? It'll probably be safer than the front door," I said. We only had seven to eight people left, and if there were as many guards inside as there were in the front of the building, then we stood no chance of getting very far.

Brunswick said, "He has a point. We'll run over there and check it out. If it's clear, then we'll go through the window to get inside." Nobody protested, and we ran back across the street. The window was just high enough for all of us to peer into. Marquis was the first one to look inside, and before the rest of us could even look inside, he pushed us down.

"Shh! Somebody's in there!" he said quietly. Although he demanded we stay down, I snuck a peek inside anyway. It was Xavier and Nero. They were the only two inside, and were talking to one another. Thanks to the broken glass, I could everything they were saying.

Xavier said coldly, "I still can't believe you made your men fall back when you had them cornered at the mountain." I smiled at the memory of how Brunswick was shooting Officials down left and right, freaking out Nero and the rest of his men.

Nero shook his head and said, "I told you, Xavier. My men were dropping to the ground with no cause. I had to get out of there or let all of them be killed with no warning." I ducked down when Xavier turned in the direction of the window, but continued to peer inside when I saw he kept turning.

Now, he was facing Nero again. "Your orders were not to leave till they were all dead. Regardless of whether or not your Officials were being killed. They're nothing more than people from outside of the City. They had no weapons and you had them outnumbered. Do you know how bad your failure makes me look?" said Xavier.

Nero had his head tilted downwards, not looking at his superior. Xavier didn't take his eyes from Nero when he said, "You can redeem yourself by killing the little peanut gallery that's running around in my City and causing trouble. If you fail at that task, then I'm not sure what I'll do."

Nero's hands clenched into fists by his sides. He obviously didn't like to be made a fool of. The instant that Xavier turned around and was starting to dismiss the Official, Nero pulled out a pistol and shot the leader in the back. Xavier cried out and grabbed on his desk in order to hold himself up.

Nero ran over to the door and locked in to keep other Officials out as he finished his job. Below me, I heard Val ask, "What the hell is going on in there?" I wanted to tell him what I was seeing, but I felt like I might be heard or spotted if I did. Xavier was still trying to get up on his feet.

Blood was pouring from his back and staining the floor and his clothes. "Or I could just take care of you so there would be no disappointment if I failed," hissed Nero. The leader of the Officials growled then moaned in pain. His legs were no longer able to support him, and Xavier let go of the table and sat on the floor.

Nero stood over him, pistol twirling on his index finger. He said coldly, "Besides, I'm sure I could do much better at leading the Officials than you have done. You did a good job at the start of the cleansing, but I'm sure if I had been in charge those brats wouldn't have escaped and it would have been over much quicker."

Xavier was starting to cough blood as the wounds in his back got worse. He asked weakly, "Do you really think the rest of the Officials will follow you, Nero? When they see that you've killed me, they'll turn against you. Just as you've done me."

Nero laughed and said, "That's where you're wrong. The rest of the Officials never trusted you, Xavier. To hear that you're dead, will be music to their ears. Especially after what you did to Clay. That was what tipped over the iceberg." Xavier grimaced in pain from the bullet in his back.

He coughed again and was able to say, "And after they see how mad you are, they'll turn against you. You have no idea how to control power, Nero. And because of that, it will cause you a greater deal of suffering than it has caused me. So I ask you, go ahead and kill me. Take on this burden that had plagued me from the start of when I came into power. Put me out of my misery and let me place it upon your shoulders so I can watch it rot your mind and sanity away. Do it-"

Xavier couldn't even finish before Nero pulled the pistol's trigger and shot a bullet between the leader's eyes. Xavier didn't move at all after that. Slowly, Nero's arm fell back to his side, and he dropped the pistol on the floor. I watched as Xavier's blood spread out, creeping along till it reached the weapon that took his life.

Nero started to do a low chuckle that turned into a laugh. The door that he locked burst open and a flood of Officials came rushing in. They froze when they saw the blood covered body of Xavier, and Nero standing there in front of it.

They didn't react at first, then smiles started to cross their faces. Their abuser was dead, but they had no idea what had come to take his place. Clay's words rang through my mind. _"They've all gone mad."_

_Alice_

Night was starting to fall, and we were still sitting on the log. Waiting. Listening. Watching. All for any signs of our friends returning. The ecstatic moment of Runo's return had passed, and now she too joined us in the wait. She kept telling us how surprised she was when Dan and the others were there and helped her.

She was actually accepting the fact that she was going to die in that prison and have pretty much given up all of her hope that she had. But that had been restored now that she was back with her friends and safe. Murucho was telling her what happened to him, Dan, and Shun after we were all separated in the desert.

I tuned them out. I wasn't up for listening to stories of what I've already gone through and experienced. The man that brought Runo back to us had left hours ago, and I wondered if he had made it back into the City safely. And also if something had happened to Shun or Dan during that amount of time.

Earlier, before sunset, I heard two gunshots. But that was it. There was none after that. But those two shots could have meant the death of any of our friends that had gone down there. A flock of birds or bats were flying around above us.

Due to the darkness of the night, I couldn't make a difference between the two. But I figured they were bats that had come out and were feeding on insects. That was okay with me; it meant fewer mosquitoes to bite us. Julie was laying down on the ground and asked, "You think the others have made it to the top of the mountain yet?"

I turned around and looked up at the summit. Murucho adjusted his glasses and said, "They most likely have, or are at least getting near the top." Runo was tapping her foot on the ground. She suddenly began talking about being back in the prison again.

"Maybe it was a good thing they showed up when they did cause an Official arrived not long after them, and he could have been there to kill me and the others locked up in the cells." Julie sat up and asked with curiosity, "What did the Official do when he saw Dan and the others were there?"

Runo swatted at a bug that was flying around her head and told us, "He tried to kill them like any Official would have done. But thanks to Brunswick, he didn't get a chance to do that." I thought about the fight that must have taken place in the prison. The Official would have had the upper hand for a while before Brunswick shot him down.

That was how I pictured it going, and it probably was how it did. I covered my mouth as I yawned. It was getting late and I needed to sleep. I slid from the log to the ground below it, and leaned my back against it. It wasn't very comfy, but I was sure it was much better than laying directly on the cold ground.

I shut my eyes and began to relax. Maybe tomorrow would end up bringing some more better news to us. Maybe Shun, Dan, and the others would even come back and we could hurry up the mountain to catch up with the others. As I started to fall asleep, I felt a dream encasing my mind.

I was still in the woods that we were in now, but I was on the other side of the fence; the part that was exposed to the Officials. Then was an explosion of bullets, and it drug me out of my dream before anything else could even start. When I sat up, fully awake, I realized the bullets hadn't been part of my dream. They were firing down in the City again.

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><p>i just realized that i only have eight more days of school, then im free! a summer full of story uploads and sleeping in. X3 sounds good to me. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	43. Shock Therapy

_Shun_

While being distracted by watching Nero kill Xavier and take over, I didn't hear the Officials running around the building. None of the others seemed to have heard them either until they had us cornered against the wall. Ten of them had their rifles pointed at the seven of us.

Dan was about to lift his gun when Nero's voice came from above us. "I would think twice about doing that, my friend." He was leaning out the window, and small grin on his face. I growled at him as I remembered the hatred I had towards this particular Official.

He had almost killed me on several occasions, and used Alice as a weapon against me. "How long did you know we were here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice at a normal level instead of shouting it at him. Nero tapped him chin as he thought. "Hmm. I've known you all have been there for a while. Even before I shot Xavier in his back. I was just letting you enjoy the show," he said flatly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Nero had allowed us to sit here and believe that we were unnoticed, but he had known all along that we were sitting right under this window. "Can we shoot them now?" a young female Official asked, finger ready on the trigger for whenever Nero gave the word.

The blonde psychopath above me looked at him and said, "Not quite yet, Kat. Let's see if they know anything that may be of use to us. If they don't spill anything, then you have free run of them." Kat smiled and tossed a lock of her tawny-colored hair over her shoulder.

The barrel of her gun never left us. Nero told them, "Bring them inside and lock them in separate rooms. Be sure to take their weapons away." One of the Officials reached his hand out to grab Val. The overly muscular fisherman from the lake then reached for the mace he took from a previous Official, and swung it.

The spiked ball hit the Official in the side, and I heard several of his ribs snapped from the blow. Blood began to flow from the wound and the injured Official dropped to the ground, groaning in pain. As Val turned around to attack again, the Officials had overpowered him, and took the weapon from him.

Val, now left defenseless, had his hands tied behind him and his face shoved to the ground with enough force, that I was sure his nose was broken. While we were distracted by watching Val, the rest of the Officials took our weapons from us, making sure to search us thoroughly for anything we may have hidden.

The only thing hidden they took from us, was Feliciana's weapon. They tossed the rifles, Feliciana's slingshot-like device, and Brunswick's bow into a large pile over to the side. Nero instructed, "Keep those. We needed a generous donation of weapons anyway."

The rest of our hands were tied like Val's, and we were being taken inside the headquarters. But I noticed that they were taking Val somewhere different from where we were going. "Where are they taking him?" I demanded to the Official in front of me. He turned slightly so he could glance at me.

"That's none of your business, Outcast. So, shut up," he said gruffly. The Official turned back around and proceeded to ignore me from there on out. As we were taken into the headquarters, each of us were deposited into a different room. The hand restraints stayed on us in case we tried to escape or fight back.

The room was empty expect from a table and two chairs; one sitting across from the other. _That must be where they're going to interrogate us at._ My eyes fell on a small metal box that was sitting on the edge of the table. It had tiny knobs on it, and a meter of some sorts.

I couldn't figure out was it was. The door behind me opened, and my Official popped his head in. Without making eye contact with me, he demanded, "Sit down in the chair and stay there. Your interrogator will be in here shortly." He then slammed the door shut without another word, or even so much as a please.

I turned and looked back at the chairs. Did it matter which I sat in? I walked over to them and took a seat in the chair that faced the door. I wanted to get an immediate look at who would be asking me questions. It was uncomfortable sitting in the chair with my arms tied behind me; the feeling reminded me much of the painful nights back in the prison.

_Caught. Great. How are we going to get out of this one?_ That was the thing. We weren't. Up until now, all of our plights had been flukes. All of us should have been dead a long time ago. _I guess this is fate's way of having a little fun before we die, _I thought grimly. The same Official opened the door and said, "Your interrogator is here now." He held the door open and my judge, jury, and executioner stepped inside. I narrowed my eyes at him. _Nero…_

_Shun_

Nero didn't immediately take his seat. Instead, he walked around to mine, and whipped out two leather straps. He snapped his fingers and the Official who opened the door, walked over to him and untied my hands from my back. Feeling relief of having the tight bindings on me, I sighed.

But only to have my arms pinned down on the armrests of the chair and tied down even tighter by the leather straps Nero pulled out. "The hell!" I shouted and tried to fight them, but they had gotten them all the way tightened. Two more straps were produced, and my ankles were tied to the legs of the chair.

I struggled against my new bindings and felt the leather edges cutting into my wrists and ankles. "Get these off of me!" I spat. Nero dismissed his Official. The minion left the room, slamming the door closed behind him. Nero sat down across from me closed his eyes.

"That's better. Can't have you trying to lunge at my throat while I ask you your questions." I was still tugging at my restraints, and was even contemplating on chewing through the leather. "You're not going to break those straps. I hope you know that," he told me.

I growled and kept tugging. I said harshly, "I can try, can't I?" Nero rolled his eyes and said, "Try and try you might, you won't succeed. Now, how about we start by you telling us everything we want to know?" I stopped struggling and glared at him. "I'd rather die than tell you shit."

Nero shook his head in shame at me, then his eyes fell on the metal box that was still on the table. "I was hoping I didn't have to use that, but you're not giving me much choice." He leaned forward and slowly turned one of the dials. I watched the needle on the meter start moving, then I was overcome with a stabbing sensation that jolted through my body.

"Stop it! Stop!" I shouted and writhed in my chair. Nero turned the dial back down, and the pain subsided, leaving my limbs twitching from the leftover remains of whatever he did to me. He explained, "Those straps are connected with this special box, and every time you decide to be uncooperative, I'll turn that knob and send volts of electricity through you. The more stubborn you are, the higher the volts get, and so does the pain."

I felt my heart rate starting to return to normal. There couldn't be enough power in that box to kill me. No, I was worth too much to Nero. Informational wise, at least. He was going to torment the answers out of me. _I can't let him do that. _I wasn't going to let him win or get his hands on anything that I knew and let it be of use to him.

He could shock me into oblivion, but I wasn't going to break. Or, at least, I hoped I wouldn't break. Pain can make a person do crazy things if it's bad enough. Nero cleared his throat and said, "Now, how about we start again? Tell us what we want to know. Like-" I cut him off before he could finish.

"How about you tell me why you have such a damn problem with me?" I spat. "You've done nothing but try and kill me since this started," I added. Nero's eyes narrowed at me, and I saw a screaming familiarity behind them. It hit me, and truly surprised me. I said softly, "You were an Outcast, weren't you?"

Nero's jaw tightened and he slammed his hands on the table. "I am not, nor have ever been, one of those lowly and filthy creatures!…..I ought to have you shot in the foot for such an accusation." He could deny it all he wanted, but I had seen those kind of eyes all my life; eyes that have seen the struggles that we faced everyday out in the Wastelands.

I decided to press things further. "How'd you get back into the City and become an Official? Outcasts get in a lot of trouble if they even think about that." I could see the anger boiling up inside Nero. "I am no Outcast!" he shouted loud enough that I was sure they heard us in the room next to us.

"What did you do? Sneak into the City and change your appearance?" I asked with a sly grin on my face. He used my biggest weakness against me, so I was only returning the favor. "I've heard enough of you!" He reached for the dial on the metal box. The electric shocks bombarded me, causing my muscles to twitch and contract with pain.

I cried out and felt tears starting to form in my eyes. Through my watery eyes, I saw Nero turning the dial even further, and I felt the pain increase. Nero hissed at me, "I'm going to make you suffer until there's nothing left of you, just like all Outcasts should be done."

I tightened my hands on the armrests and was able to say through gritted teeth, "Then…Why aren't…You doing this to yourself?" His eyes grew wild with anger, and he turned the knob till it wouldn't move anymore. He turned it so far, that it actually broke off. Nero stared at the knob for a moment, then smiled evilly.

"Woops," he said and tossed the dial over his shoulder. I was screaming now as the pain only got worse and worse. Smoke began to rise from the metal box, and then the electric current was cut. The pain started to subside, but my body was still reacting to having the volts sent through it.

Nero stared at the device with wide eyes. "The hell?" He picked it up and examined it. "Damn thing seems to have broken. Shit!" He threw it down on the ground, and the machine broke apart. My eyes were struggling to stay open as I fought the need to pass out from pain.

My limbs still twitched, and I was sure it looked like I was having some sort of seizure. "Maxus!" Nero shouted. I was able to see the same Official walk inside the room. Nero told him harshly, "Get this filth out of my sight! I'm done here." Nero stomped out of the room, leaving Maxus to take care of me.

The Official took off the leather straps, and I saw the burned flesh that was underneath them. Maxus helped me to my feet, but the electric torment had left me too weak to walk. So, he had to help carry me out of the room. I caught a glimpse of Nero down the hall. He was pacing back and forth, talking to himself and swearing. I smiled. I thought before passing out, _I told you I wouldn't tell you anything._

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><p>happy monday to all! -throws confetti- i have been sneezing nonstop all day and all yesterday, and i fear that i will not have any brains left. o.o well, let's hope i keep something in my head. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	44. Closer Than Blood

_Shun_

When I woke up, I found myself laying on a hard rock ground. Upon further inspection, it looked like I was laying down in a basement or storage room. I tried to sit up, but found myself too weak to do so. Pain shot from my wrists and ankles, causing me to bite my lip to keep from yelling in pain.

When I looked at them, I stared at the burned, pink flesh where the leather straps had been. They hurt every time I moved them the slightest bit. I finally found the strength to push myself into a sitting position, enduring the pain that followed, and leaned my back against one of the walls in the room. Water dripped from a crack in the ceiling and started to form a puddle below it. "Shun?"

I looked around and saw Feliciana. She was rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. I didn't know how I hadn't noticed her when I woke up. Perhaps I had been too occupied on the pain I was in. I asked her, "Did they do anything to you? Like, to get answers?" Feliciana pushed herself up and was sitting now. "When those idiots finally realized I wasn't going to tell them anything, they knocked me out and I woke up in here with you. What about you?"

I held up my wrists and said, "Nero tried to shock the answers out of me, but I didn't tell him anything." Feliciana squinted her eyes in order to see my wrists, but she must have been too far away to make anything of them because she got up and knelt down beside me. "These burns look painful," she said as she examined my wrists and ankles.

I gave her and sad smile and said, "Just a little. As long as I don't move them, they don't hurt." Feliciana shook her head and started to search around the room. "What are you looking for?" I asked her. She dug around in a box and pulled out a piece of white fabric.

Feliciana told me, "Something to wrap those burns up with so they won't get any worse." She tore off several strips of the fabric, then returned to me. Then, she proceeded to wrap the fabric tightly around my wrists and ankles. I took in a sharp breath as the cloth touched by burns.

As the pain began to go away I said, "Thanks." She nodded. I stared at the makeshift bandages on my wrists and ankles. On my arm, I could still see some of my muscles twitching. The electrical shocks were more powerful than I thought they would be, and my still spasming body was proof of that.

Feliciana sat next to me and asked, "So, what kind of questions did they ask you?" I shrugged and told her, "Dunno. I never gave Nero the chance to get a word in." She was about to say something else when the door at the top of a staircase opened. An Official threw somebody into the basement with us; it was Marquis.

His hands were tied behind his back, as were his feet. "When I get out of these, I'm coming for you! I swear!" he shouted. The Official just laughed and said, "I'd love to see that," and slammed the door shut. Marquis, still thrashing around in his rage, had yet to notice Feliciana and I sitting in front of him.

He finally calmed down enough and saw us. "Oh. Hey, guys. Could one of you try and get these damn restraints off of me?" Feliciana and I looked at each other, and she got up and started trying to break the ties that bound Marquis's wrists and feet together.

After much work, she finally got the wrist restraints off of him. Now with his hands free, he started working on the ties that were around his ankles. He easily got them off thanks to years of tearing and untangling fishing nets back at the lake.

Not long after Marquis was thrown down here, the door opened again and another Official threw Brunswick in as well. Just like Marquis, his arms were tied, but not his ankles. Feliciana helped to get the bindings off of him. I did a head count and realized that we were still missing Dan, Val, and the other guy that came with us.

Marquis asked us, "Did any of you see Val after they took him away?" We all shook our heads. Marquis's shoulders slumped slightly and he said under his breath, "I swear, if they did something to him." Brunswick put a hand on Marquis's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Val is strong. Whatever they may do to him, I'm sure he can handle it."

But even Brunswick looked like he didn't believe himself. Val had been the one who attacked, and seriously injured, an Official before they took all of us away. And he had been taken away to someplace different from us. What the Officials did to him when he was out of our sight, I had no clue.

He could have been subjected to shock torture like me, or any number of other things. I fiddled with the cloth bandages on my wrists and said, "We have to hurry and get out of here." Marquis asked me, "What about Dan, Val, and the other guy?"

I left the white cloth alone and told him, "We can look for them while we're escaping." I hadn't noticed that Feliciana had walked up the stairs until she yelled down to us, "The door's lock. We'll have to find another way out." My eyes searched the room for another door or a window.

There was nothing. Feliciana walked back down the stairs, each wooden step creaked underneath her weight. Marquis abruptly stood up and said, "I'll unlock the door." He stomped past Feliciana and up the stairs. Brunswick said calmly, "Marquis, get back down here."

Marquis started to kick the door with his foot, and it looked like he might actually break the lock. That was, until he lost his footing and fell backwards down the stairs. He groaned when he finally landed on the hard ground at the base. Brunswick said, "I told you to get back down here."

Marquis growled at the bearded man, then punched the rock floor beneath him. "I'm just trying to get the hell out of here and find Val!" Brunswick snapped at him, "And you think knocking the door down and drawing every Official here is going to help?" Tears were starting to form in Marquis's eyes. "I'd do anything to find my brother and make sure he's alright," he said softly. I stared at him and asked, "Val is your brother?"

Marquis looked away from us and Brunswick spoke up. "They're not blood related, but they've grown up together since they were young. So, they're almost like brothers." That was kind of like how Christina and I were. We had known each other long enough that we almost viewed each other as siblings.

"It doesn't matter if we're not blood related. I made a promise when we were little to keep him safe, and right now I'm not keeping that promise," said Marquis. It grew deathly silent after that, the only thing that broke it was the opening of the door at the top of the stairs again.

We waited to see who was being brought in now. This time it was Dan. The Official helped him down the stairs, and I saw why. Some of his hair was matted with blood, and his eyes showed that he looked dazed and confused. When the Official released his hold on the brunette, Dan dropped to the ground.

The Official left us alone once again. We ran over to Dan's side. Brunswick carefully rolled the brunette over onto his back. His eyes opened slightly and he looked up at all of us. "Where are we?" he asked in a slurred tone. I watched Feliciana inspecting the wound on the side of his head.

I recognized the marks through the blood. He had been hit with the end of a rifle like I had been not so long ago. I told him, "It looks like we're in a basement." He nodded slowly. Feliciana looked at us and said, "He should be fine. I don't think his skull is damaged or anything like that."

He would just be disoriented for a while. Feliciana tended to Dan's injuries by using the piece of white cloth that she had made my bandages with. She wiped the blood from his face and hair, then found a way to wrap a piece of cloth around his head. _Now I know where Christina got her healing hands from_, I thought to myself and smiled.

But that smile faded just as quickly as it came. We sat around in the basement room, all of us still silent; Dan was the only one making any noise as he laid there unconscious. The brunette finally came too. He sat upright, and began frantically looking around the room as he digested where he was at.

"Calm down," Brunswick told him. "You're safe." Dan did calm down slightly and said, "The last thing I remember was having questions asked to me, then that Nero guy walked into the room and hit me with something. That was it." My best guess was that Nero took his anger out on Dan after our little disagreement during my interrogation.

Dan then grabbed the side of his head and grimaced. "Ow. My head." Feliciana crossed her arms over her chest and said, "You did tell us you were hit in the head." Dan narrowed his eyes at her and said, "I know that." Feliciana shot him a cocky grin then her face turned back serious.

She said, "If we are going to try and get out of here, then how are we going to do it? The door probably isn't the best idea unless we had something to fight back the Officials on the other side." The door was certainly a bad idea, but we had no other way out.

If we attempted to go through there and fight the Officials, then we could just as well say that we would be shot on the ground that we stood on. Feliciana tapped her foot and said, "If only we had our weapons back." The Officials confiscated our weapons before they took us in for questioning.

They left us with nothing to defend ourselves with. My eyes drifted over to a broom that was leaning against the wall. "Maybe we do have some weapons after all," I said and walked over to the broom. Dan asked, "What are we going to do with that? Sweep them to death?"

I held up my index finger to signal for him to wait. "Watch." I hurried up the steps and tried to doorknob. Lucky for me, the last Official forgot to lock it. I quietly turned the knob and saw an Official standing guard outside of the door. I lifted the broom and hit the handle on top of the Official's head.

He dropped to the ground unconscious. Before anyone else could see me, I pulled him inside and closed the door the door back. I found a rifle and hand pistol on his person. I threw both the weapons down the stairs, where Brunswick caught both of them. "It's a start," I told them.

Two guns could give us a better chance than if we ran through a headquarters full of armed Officials. "Now," I said. "We need to do something with him before he wakes up." Feliciana nodded and asked for us to bring the Official down the stairs. Brunswick helped me bring him down.

Feliciana had the white cloth torn and tied together to make a long rope, along with the ties that had been on Brunswick and Marquis. She tied the Official up. Just as she tied the last not, the Official came to. He began to panic when he saw he was taken hostage and restrained.

"Let me go! Help! Somebody help!" He squirmed like I did when I was being electrocuted. Feliciana tore another piece of cloth off and stuck it in the screaming Official's mouth. "That should shut him up some," she said. I folded my arms over my chest and said, "Now we just have to do the same to about six more Officials. Then we'll have plenty of weapons."

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><p>i can see now that this week is going to be slow. o.o or maybe i'm just ready to get out of school. yeah. let's go with that one. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	45. Collapsing In

_Alice_

A small bug crawling around on my leg woke me from the light sleep I was already in. I brought my hand down and shooed him away. The bug flew off and vanished into the trees in front of us. Above the trees, I saw the City. It was dim in comparison to how it used to be. Hardly any oil lamps were lit up, and most of the City blended in with the darkness of the night.

I heard no more gunfire for quite sometime now, and I wondered when the fighting would resume. _If there's even anyone left to fight…._Runo, Murucho, and Julie were sound asleep next to me, and decided to take this time to my advantage and walk around. All we had done since the guys left for the City, was sit in that same place on that same log and look at the same trees.

I was much overdue for a change in scenery. I silently got up and disappeared into the trees. I was walking downward, meaning that I would most likely run into the chain link fence sooner or later. Buzzing bugs and the whooping of an owl created a nighttime serenade that I would have never heard if I hadn't left the City and none of this happened.

Twigs snapped underneath my feet with each step I took. I finally came up to the rusted fence, and placed my fingers through the metal chain link. I wasn't sure if this was the place, all the trees looked the same, but I remembered being on the other side of the fence as I said goodbye to Shun as he went off to fight with the others.

It was just like before the Officials went crazy; he was on one side, and I was on the other. A barrier that meant we lived on different sides and could never know each other. But thanks to him, we broke that barrier down, even if things were still a little bit rocky every now and then.

A low grumbling broke the sounds of night, and I placed my hand on my stomach. I was starving from not eating for a day or so. The only thing we had put in our stomachs, was whatever Murucho could identify that wouldn't kill us or incapacitate us.

And those few leaves and plants, weren't a very substantial meal. Leaves rustled in the tops of trees, and I didn't think anything of them other than it being the wind moving them around. I walked down the length of the fence, gliding my hand along the chain link and knocking off rust as I went.

I made sure that I didn't go off too far and not be able to find my way back to the others. I decided it was time to turn back. The trees' leaves were rustling even more now, and I realized that there was hardly a wind blowing. I started to look up, wondering if an owl or some other animal was running around above me.

Several large figures dropped from the trees and stood in front of me. I freaked out and started to back away from them. In the dark, I couldn't make heads or tails out of who or what they were. One of them laughed and said, "What do ya know? That guy wasn't lying."

One of them lifted something up, and I heard a button click. Then, I felt something wrap around me and encase my whole body into a tight little ball. I was trapped in a net. I pulled at the mesh of the net, trying to break my way out. The figures stepped out of the shadows, and into the moonlight that was shining through an opening in a tree's leaves. There were three of them, all Officials that I remembered very well from my time in the City.

Cameron, Jack, and Kat were their names. Kat, the only female Official that I knew of, asked me, "Would you be nice enough to tell me where you're other friends are?" I shook my head and hunkered down away from her. They had the upper hand.

Not like I stood a better chance against them even if I wasn't trapped in a net, but I could at least run from them until they caught me or I tired out. Kat put her hand on her hip and said, "Aw. What a shame. Oh well, we'll just look for them on our own." She pretended to pout, then snapped her fingers and ordered, "Make her be quiet so she can't let her friends know we're here."

The thought hadn't even crossed my mind to yell and warn the others of the danger that was in the forest now. Jack ran over to me with a case in his hands. He sat it down next to me and clicked the locks, revealing several syringes and vials. He stuck one of the needles into the vial and pulled the clear liquid into the syringe. His eyes met mine, and I saw the sadness in them.

It was accompanied by shame. Jack whispered to me, "I'm sorry." He then stuck the needle in my arm and injected me with the serum. Kat said loudly, "Jack, come with me and help me look for the others. Cameron, get her over the fence and wait for us at the rendezvous point. Understood?" They nodded, and Jack got up and joined Kat. I watched as they vanished into the trees.

I decided now I would try and yell and let the others know they were in trouble. But when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out. Cameron picked my up, net and all, and started carrying my bridal-style towards their meeting place. I felt my body starting to grow limp and numb.

What was in that serum that Jack injected into me? A tranquilizer or other powerful drug? Whatever it was, I wasn't liking the effects it was having on me. The trees around me began to bend and twist, the sky turned a sickening maroon. As the trees bent, they had faces form on them.

Mouths with razor sharp fangs emerged of them and they hissed, growled, and even laughed as Cameron hauled me off. My mind felt like a mush inside my skull that jostled with each step my carrier took. It no longer looked like I was in a forest. The whole place had changed into a bad dream.

Would the others experience this when Kat and Jack found them? Or would their minds react differently to the dose of drugs they received? The serenade of owls and bugs had transformed into an altered version where they were screeches and howls of creatures that were no longer normal.

I looked up at Cameron. He looked pretty normal; other than his eyes being like that of a lizard's and his skin turning pale blue against the maroon sky. My mind no longer want to try and decipher what was reality, and what was created by my drug induced state. So, I did all I could, and blacked out.

_Shun_

We accomplished the knocking out of six more Officials, and were now fairly well armed. I glanced over at the huddled group of Officials that we had knocked out. Thankfully, we found enough material to tie them up and gag them so they couldn't speak or call out for help.

Many of them were still unconscious; the majority of them were knocked out by either Marquis or Feliciana. We took any extra ammo that we could find on them, and I was oddly reminded of when we took the rifles from the dead Officials back in the forest.

Except, these were more heavily armed than those. Maybe it was because they were inside the City. It didn't matter. We now had weapons to defend ourselves with. Feliciana mumbled to herself, "I hate using guns. Wish I had my slingshot back."

I smiled and was completely sure that she would have been more dangerous with a weapon she was comfortable with. But, I knew she would make due with what was given to her. Marquis looked at all of us and asked impatiently, "Are we going to do this thing, or not?"

I looked to Brunswick, who had agreed to lead the group and go through the door first. He said, "I guess so. Is everyone ready?" We nodded, and I began to prep myself for a hailing of bullets that we would surely encounter. Brunswick walked up the stairs, one step at a time.

The rest of us followed slowly behind him. I watched his hand reach for the knob, and he swung the door open. From there on out, it was like a race that just started with the firing of a gun. We ran through, what looked like the underbelly of a building, and found another stairwell when we realized that freedom was a few floors up.

Any Officials we encountered along the way, were gladly shot at. Some of them were just injured to where they couldn't walk or fire back at us, others died from their wounds immediately. Our group of five charged up flight after flight of stairs.

When we reached the next floor, Brunswick pulled that door open, and we were met with Officials. They made a wall with their bodies and had their rifles pointed at us. "Fire!" one of them shouted. Brunswick pushed up back and slammed the door shut. We tumbled down the stairs and stopped falling when we landed on a flat landing that connected two sets of stairs.

The steel door above was being decimated by bullets that the Officials fired. Metal was bent and torn from the force, and I didn't think anything would be left much longer. Feliciana hissed at us, "Wait for them to quit firing!" I thought to myself, _Well, duh. Wouldn't want to stand up while bullets are flying over our heads._

The firing ceased either because they ran out of ammo, or they thought we were shot up into a blood mess. I could see their expressions when they only blood they saw was from where I hit my head on a step and busted my lip. When the hole-infested door opened, Feliciana shouted, "Fire at them!"

None of us hesitated; at this point, shooting had become a second nature and an instinctive reflex. Our bullets shot up and spurts of blood flew out of the Officials each time their body was punctured. With their weapons lowered, they had no time to react and aim at us.

They stopped coming, and I saw that we had shot them all down. Brunswick told us quietly, "Let's move before more show up." We left the landing and hurried up the stairs once more, stepping over the bodies of Officials. One was still alive and grabbed my ankle. I cringed as his hands gripped the burns on me.

When I looked down, I found his eyes looking back up at me. Blood covered almost all of his face; there was no telling if it was his blood, or one of his fallen comrades. He mouthed something that looked like, _"Thanks."_ I stared down at him, confused. _Thanks?_

He was grateful for us shooting him and cutting his life short? That couldn't have been what he said. He mouthed the word again, and it still looked like 'thanks.' I shook my head, unable to understand what was wrong with him. I would never be thankful to somebody who killed me.

Then it hit me. Just like back at the prison and when Clay helped me. This Official didn't want to be here, hunting down people and killing them. He just wanted to have things be like they were before everything went to hell and back.

Now when I looked at it from that perspective, I could understand why he was happy that his life was ending. There was no telling how many people he killed, or watched be killed. He would never live through his life without feeling an ultimate guilt with every breath he took.

A bullet zoomed past me and into the dying Official's skull. My head whipped around to see Feliciana standing in the doorway of the stairs. She snapped, "Come on dammit!" The Official's grip on my ankle was now limp, and I lifted my leg. His hand slid off and fell next to him.

He saw this fitting for himself because of all the things he had done, and I didn't chastise him for that. I finally pulled my eyes from him and ran up the stairs to catch up with the others before I was left behind to fend for myself. I caught a glimpse of Feliciana rounding a corner, and I followed her.

I slowed when I saw them all standing in front of one of the rooms that had been used for our interrogations. They were staring into it, wide-eyed and mouths gapped open. I asked, "What's in the-" I felt myself freeze. Marquis was kneeling beside Val, who's skin looked raw and as burned as my wrists and ankles.

Except, his whole body was like that. Water was splashed all over the floor around them, and I saw a bucket beside the two. "What happened?" I asked with only half a breath. My mind couldn't register what kind of torture the Officials put Val through.

Brunswick told me, "Looks like the Officials used chemicals on Val. When Marquis found him, he was still in pain cause he was dowsed in them. So he went looking for water and washed the chemicals off. It's a sick torture if you ask me." Brunswick's hands were clenched into fists as he watched one of his friends grieving, and the other suffering in pain.

Marquis was doing nothing short of crying. He held onto Val's bloody hand and starting ranting. "I told Ma I was would keep you safe. I promised her. You got to hang on Val." Marquis kept going back and forth from the promise and telling Val he would make it and to hold on a little bit longer.

Was this really the punishment that the Officials saw fit for Val? No. It wasn't something the Officials saw fit, but rather Nero saw fit. It wasn't a punishment, but nothing more than a warning to us and what we would go through. Feliciana wiped a tear from her eyes; that was the first time I had ever seen her cry, and I wondered if she was even capable of it.

She raised her gun and said, "Marquis, move out of the way." Marquis turned and looked at her like she had gone mad. "No! Don't shoot him!" Feliciana lowered her gun and looked surprised at Marquis's action. She told him calmly, "He's suffering, Marquis. It'll make things easier on him. You know more than any of us, that he isn't going to make it."

Behind him, I saw Val's hands trembling and his face contorted in pain. I suddenly felt sick as I continued to stare at the horrid chemical burns on his skin, and I began to hear what it must of sounded like as they poured the liquids over him. The sound of burning flesh made me cringe, and I couldn't look at him any longer.

But I did. Marquis looked like a child, unsure of what decision to make. "Do you really think it will ease his pain?" he asked with a shaky voice that can only be produced from crying. We all nodded. I knew Marquis loved the person that he saw as his brother, and that he wanted only the best result for Val.

"Alright," he said. "But I want to be the one who does it." I hadn't even noticed that they took Marquis's gun away from him. Maybe they thought that when he saw Val, he would try and shoot himself or go on a rampage. Dan stepped forward and asked, "Are you sure you want to?"

Marquis nodded and Brunswick handed him back his gun. Marquis took it in his shaky hand and stood over the friend he saw as family. I didn't think he would be able to do it, but he proved me wrong. Marquis told Val, "I don't want to do this, but it's for your own good."

Val looked up at him with glazed over eyes, and slowly nodded. Marquis shut his eyes tightly and pulled the trigger. Val's body jerked up, then remained still. Brunswick walked up behind Marquis and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did the right thing," Brunswick told him. "Now it's time to keep moving."

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><p>no upload tomorrow. i have another banquet to attend to. but there should be one friday unless something else pops up. i also added another choice to my poll list, so check it out and see if you think that would be a fitting title for my zombie sequel. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	46. Take It All Back

_Shun_

Marquis didn't speak any as well snaked our way through the halls. He only kept his head lowered, and eyes adverted to the floor. I felt sympathy for him, but couldn't comprehend the kind of mental and physical pain he had to be going through.

Knowing that somebody who was brotherly close to you, was dying and you had to be the one to end his suffering, well, there were no words I could think of to even get close to explaining it. We walked up the last flight of stairs. Now, we were on the main floor of the Official headquarters.

After the drama with Marquis and Val, we never really encountered many more of the people who once kept order in the City. Did they know that we would find Val? It wouldn't be below Nero to use Val's death as a psychological weapon on us. To show us what would become of us and fill our minds with paranoia.

We carefully peeked around corners of walls and made sure that everything was clear. "Where's the exit?" I heard Feliciana ask from behind me. Dan turned and looked at her. "Why do you want to know that? You're not planning on leaving, are you?" the brunette asked.

Feliciana looked away and reminded silent. When she answered, she told him, "Yes. We've done all the damage we can and have had one too many close calls. If they get a hold of us this time, then we can kiss the mountain goodbye." She was right. We hadn't snuck into the City with many people from the start, but we had lost a lot of those who came with us.

And the Officials almost caught us back in the prison, and they succeeded in capturing us when I witnessed Nero killing Xavier. They had cut us slack, and if they caught us again, they would most certainly kill us. Dan said sternly, "Well, Feliciana, you are more than welcome to go.

But I want to find Nero and the Officials that took Runo." Even though the bluenette was out of the City and safe, Dan still desired his revenge on the Officials. They took one of the few people that he had left and cared greatly about.

I would do the same if Alice had been taken and locked away in a prison until she answered questions or they killed her. Whichever would come first. Feliciana nodded and said, "Then I'm going. I wish I could stay in this fight some more, but I want to live and see the place that I've lost so much to get to."

Brunswick jumped into their conversation. "Take Marquis with you." We all turned and looked at him. Even Marquis looked at him questionably. He asked, "I don't want to leave, Brunswick. I want them to pay for what they did to Val. The same way Dan wants them to pay for taking Runo."

Brunswick shook his head. "No, Marquis. We'll get the revenge for you, but right now you aren't well enough in the head. Your mind is still grieving and suffering from what it just went through, and you are unstable. That alone, makes you a threat to everyone. Officials, and your friends."

Marquis looked appalled at what Brunswick was saying. "Are you implying that I'm crazy?" he yelled. "Those twisted monsters that hurt Val are the crazy ones! Not me!" His voice was getting louder and louder, and I began to fear that every Official in the building would hear his ranting.

Brunswick grabbed on tightly to Marquis's arm and looked him narrowly in the eyes. "Listen to me! I am not saying you're crazy, I'm saying that you aren't well. Grief and traumatic experiences make people do things they normally wouldn't. And I don't want to watch you go mad."

_They've all gone mad._ Clay's voice made another random reappearance in my thoughts. Marquis had tears streaking down his face, and he stumbled back and slid down the wall. He buried his face into his hands. Feliciana placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Come on, Marquis. We'll split off from the group and find the way out. Then, we'll start heading up the mountain and find the others."

Marquis looked up at her, wet lines were on his cheeks from where the tears had rolled down. Brunswick was right, he wasn't well. The trauma of the last few hours may have altered his mental state forever. _And that's just what Nero wanted._ Feliciana held her hand out, and Marquis took it.

I was surprised to see that she was strong enough to help him to his feet; he might have done some of the work himself, but it wasn't easy to see. Brunswick gave her extra ammo for her rifle, and wished her luck. She turned and mumbled to herself, _"_We might need it."

She and Marquis turned and headed down another hall, one that led outside. I wished them safe travel to either the fence or the underground tunnel. And I hoped that they would find Alice and the others, and let them know that we were still alive at this point.

That could change quickly though. Now, it was just Brunswick, Dan, and I. Deep down, I was starting to wish that Feliciana stayed behind with us. She was a fearsome fighter, and a very good one at that. But I wanted her to find the paradise we were all looking for, and the one that she had sacrificed so much to get to.

Dan asked, "Now what do we do?" I looked around a corner and quietly told him, "I don't know bout you, but I want to find Nero." Dan shrugged and said back, "Sounds like as good a plan as any. Where do you think he'll be?" I thought about what I knew about the new head Official.

He was arrogant, thought he couldn't be touched and was invincible. He felt like he held all the power in the world. I sighed and said, "I have a pretty good idea of where he is." Dan inquired as of where, and I told him. "His new office."

Brunswick nodded and said, "That's just what I was thinking too." He led us down the halls and back to Nero's office. The new leader felt like he couldn't be hurt, so why would he hide himself away? He was going to be somewhere in the open and not heavily guarded.

And I was right. We rounded another corner and saw his office. Only two Officials stood outside as guards; Kat and Cameron. Kat raised her hands and signaled us to stop and lower our weapons. There wasn't much authority in her voice like there normally was, but it still carried a firmness.

She said, "Nero is inside and has been waiting for you." In confusion, we lowered our guns. Not because she told us to, but because we couldn't understand why Nero would be waiting for us. Cameron added, "He has a little surprise for you. I'm sure you'll like it."

What kind of 'surprise' would Nero have? A bullet waiting for us on the other side of the door? A chemical bath like Val received? There were so many possibilities. Dan muttered next to me, "I'm not sure I want this surprise." Kat reached and turned the doorknob.

The wooden door slowly swung open, and we cautiously walked by the guards and inside. I braced myself to be shot, but wasn't prepared to what I saw next. Standing next to Nero, was the guy we sent to escort Runo back and to the fence in order to get her out of the City.

He was beaten, bloody, and barely hanging on to either consciousness or life. His glazed over eyes found us. They looked like they were staring miles off into the distance. He said softly, "I-I'm s-sorry." Then, they shifted to the floor, and it took everything I had not to lose it right then and there. They almost looked dead, and I almost thought they were. Laying limply and deathly still on the floor, was Runo, Murucho, Julie, and Alice.

_Alice_

I couldn't move thanks to the drugs running through my blood. After all the weird hallucinations, I assumed that I had blacked out. But even then, I was being plagued by weird images and dreams. Now, I believed that I was in an office of sorts; four walls, a roof, and expensive oil lamps hanging everywhere.

But it was all distorted and blurred, so I wasn't entirely sure. What looked like two people were standing over me, were now joined by three more. They walked into the room, and froze right at the door. One of the people standing above me said, "I-I'm s-sorry."

Sorry for what? It didn't sound like Jack's voice from when he apologized for injecting me with drugs. The voice was slightly familiar, like I heard it at one point. But I couldn't place a name. Heck, that might not even be their real voice, and it could just be another effect of the drugs.

I had already watched trees grow teeth and speak, so I wouldn't be surprised. A voice then shouted. "What did you do to them!" Now this voice was so familiar, one that I had heard for a long time and had become a part of my life and reason to live. _Shun?_

I turned my head and saw the three blurred figures. When I focused, their profiles became clearer and clearer. It was Shun. And Dan and Brunswick were standing next to him. What were they doing here? Last I had seen of them, they had left and…._Gone to the City._

My eyes darted from them and found the two people standing above me. I now saw who they were. The guy who brought Runo back to us. From what little clarity I had, he appeared beaten. It took me a moment to see who the man next to him was.

While I was trying to drag the memory from my foggy mind, I heard him say, "Oh, nothing major. Just knocked them out with a mixture of hallucinogenic drugs." This man's voice sent an inhuman chill down my spine as I began to recognize it, but I still couldn't remember.

I heard Dan tell him, "You're sick, Nero." Nero. The saying of his name sent a wave of memories back to me. Memories of this man almost killing Shun, and holding me captive and using me as a tool to get to Shun. My hands began to tremble, but not from the drugs.

No, they were trembling because a man who almost killed me, was standing right behind me. And I was defenseless to do anything to stop him if he so decided to harm me. My body suddenly woke from its drug-induced state. I scrambled around on the floor to get away from Nero, but felt a set of hands grab onto me.

They held too strong a grip to be Shun's or Dan's. I looked up and saw Cameron had a hold of me. I started to kick, flail and scream in order to get away, but his grip was too much for my weakened state to fight against. Shun yelled at him, "Get your hands off of her!"

I turned in time to see him and Dan about to run forward, but Kat jumped in front of them, cutting off their path to me. She held two hand pistols, both aimed right at Dan and Shun. The two of them froze and slowly backed up, returning to where they stood next to Brunswick.

I kept kicking and trying to break free. I felt my energy running low, and knew that I wouldn't be able to fight for much longer before I wore out. My eyes found Shun's. He was looking at me, his face telling me that he felt helpless. Images of what happened back at the fence returned to me.

How Nero had me in a hopeless scenario, and how Shun was unable to do anything. This was nothing more than a repeat. Kat threw me back to the ground, and quickly tied my hands together with something. I was unable to see Shun, but was faced with Runo, Julie, and Murucho.

They still didn't make any moves, even with all the noise going on. I would have thought that they would at least be waking from their drugs. But then again, I had no clue when Kat and Jack found them. I wiggled around and was able to see Dan, Shun, and Brunswick again.

But I wished I hadn't. I had turned around in time to watch Nero take one of the pistols from Kat, and fire it at the trio. The bullet looked like it was going for Dan at first, but Brunswick pushed him out of the way and took the shot instead.

* * *

><p>ok, it is official. this is now my longest story o.o and i don't think it will be done for another four or five chapters. (what do i know?) this is my last friday at school! woooooo! read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	47. The Good Life

_Shun_

My brain couldn't keep up with everything that was going on. On one side, there was Alice, who had been drugged and was now back in Nero's grip. On the other, Brunswick had just taken a bullet for Dan. My mind was screaming for me to run in both directions, but I couldn't.

Instead, my feet remained glued to the floor as I watched. Nero shook his head. "And I had a clear shot too," he said. Brunswick was laying on the ground, holding onto his side and grimacing in pain. Dan was trying to help our injured friend when Kat grabbed him from behind.

I watched as he elbowed her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to stumble back. He shouted at me, "Don't just stand there! Help them!" He pointed to Alice and the others and I felt myself snapped out of my trance.

Even though I was fully aware of what was going on now, I couldn't come up with a plan. If I went right for Nero, I wouldn't get very far. He still held the pistol in his hand, and I could have sworn I saw him load another round into the chamber.

Behind him, Cameron made sure the hand restraints on Alice were secured. I had to get them out of there. I had to get Alice and the other three out of the City and far away from Nero and his Officials. But what about Dan and the injured Brunswick? What would I do with them?

I didn't want to leave them behind to fend for themselves against uneven numbers. _What do I do? What do I do?_ My head began to hurt the more I kept trying to come up with a plan. The temple where I had been struck with the end of Nero's rifle also began to hurt.

A laugh boomed throughout the room, causing my head to throb with each chuckle. I looked up and saw Nero smiling at me. "What's the matter, Outcast? Confused?" Beside me, Dan was shouting again. "Shun! Do something! Now!"

The brunette was still occupied with helping Brunswick, but several Officials had gathered around the two, cutting them off from me and keeping them there by pointing their gun barrels at them. I was on my own, but there seemed like nothing I could do.

If I went for Nero, Cameron would shoot me down from behind his leader. And I wasn't about to run. I'd sooner die than take a coward's way out. There had to be something I could do that wouldn't endanger us anymore than we already were. My eyes found Alice.

She was just as scared as the rest of us, maybe even more because of the predicament she was in. She noticed I was looking at her, and her eyes pleaded for help. _I can't._

I felt even more helpless than I did back at the mountain. My legs felt weak, and I thought I may have been on the verge of collapsing, but I held my ground. Nero was waiting for me to make my move, so I didn't keep him waiting any longer. If actions were pointless right now, maybe words would have a better effect.

I remembered back in the interrogation room when I found out he was an Outcast, how the realization had strung him and sent him over an irrational edge. Maybe I could produce that kind of effect again. "Why are you doing this? Why do you want to harm these people that have done nothing to you?" I asked.

He looked surprised when I spoke. Odds were he was expecting me to charge at him or try and grab one of the Official's guns. "I'm doing it because it is the right thing to do. It was foretold at the creation of the City that people would have to die for the greater good. And that's what they're doing," he said in a professional tone.

I motioned to Brunswick and Dan. "How can killing them make a difference for the greater good? One of them looked up to you and the Officials for most of his life, and the other, the one you shot. He would have never done anything to cause any trouble towards the City. His home had everything that he and his people could have needed. So killing them for the greater good can't be why you're doing this. Tell me why, Nero."

He growled and gave me a death glare. Nero said harshly, "I gave you my reason." Outside, I was able to hear rumbling out in the distance. It was thunder, and I was certain that it would begin to rain in no time. _What a fitting atmosphere._ Something told me to turn around, so I did.

Dan was looking at me through two Officials and mouthed to me, _"What the hell are you doing?"_ Next to him, I was able to see Brunswick was no longer writhing in pain, but laying unconscious. As far as I could tell, he had stopped bleeding. I mouthed back to Dan, _"Trust me.__"_

The brunette stared at me for a moment then nodded. What other choice did he have? I was sure he didn't like his life, along with five other lives, hanging in the balance and in the hands of an Outcast, but I was the only one who wasn't tied up or injured at the moment.

I turned back to Nero and said, "Then how come I don't believe the reason you gave me? What you told me was Xavier's views on this, wasn't it?" I could see Nero's anger growing more and more with each word I said. I smiled on the inside and thought, _Just as I hoped._

"Xavier wasn't a fit leader for this job! He was too focused on mistreating his Officials rather than taking care of the real problem!" I shouted back at him, "Then what was the real problem!" Nero stared angrily at me and remained silent. His eyes then moved around to look at his Officials that were waiting for his response to my outburst.

He said sternly to them, "Take them out of here. Lock em up if you feel like it. But leave me and him alone." The Officials looked at one another, and I could see they were questioning their leader's choice to be left unguarded. "Go!" he shouted. They didn't hesitate to leave this time.

The Officials dispersed, taking Alice and the others with them. She and Dan, the only two who were still conscious, were fighting against them. But the Officials who were carrying them didn't even seem like they were fazed by the kicking and shouting.

The only ones left in the room now, were Nero and I. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Something about being in a room with Nero, and Nero only, made me uneasy. "You want to know my reason?" he asked coldly. I found my eyes scanning the office for anything I could use to defend myself if it came down to it.

"Enlighten me," I told him and was surprised that my voice wasn't shaky. I at least thought it would have wavered a little. Nero made his way behind a desk that had once belonged to Xavier before his untimely death. "It's to get back at all the years of what they've done to us," he told me. I raised an eyebrow.

"To us?" I asked. Nero slammed a hand down on the desk, causing the contents on top of it to shake and fall over. "Us. The Outcasts. I stood by all these years, waiting for the time to set the gears in motion. When we found out that you had snuck into the City and stole, I used that to my advantage and convinced Xavier that it was time to start the cleansing. From there, I waited for my chance to strike against Xavier and take over. I just hate it took this long and I wasn't leading while there were still people cowering in the City."

I stared at Nero, unable to find anything to say. The only words that formed in my mind, were that of Clay's. _They've gone mad._ I found myself asking, "But why does that have anything to do with the Outcasts?" Nero's eyes flashed with a wild anger that could only belong to a madman.

He walked around the desk and said, "Because I was Cast out and looked down upon for so many years, watching from outside of the fence and hearing the words that people said about us. Seeing how they viewed us a lesser people than them. I couldn't stand it." He was now pacing back and forth in front of me.

I wondered if he even remembered if I was there. "Before I was thrown out in those Wastelands, I had learned about the cleansing. But according to Xavier, that was many years away. I didn't start thinking about it until I became an Outcast and loving the idea of how fitting it would be for those people to suffer just as I had for so many years out in that unforgiving place while they had it easy."

Nero had moved back to the desk and stared intensely at the floor in front of him. "So, that was when I began plotting my way back in. It wasn't easy. I had to change my whole life; name, appearance, and background so I could match the person's place I took." He had lost me now.

I asked, "Person's place you took?" Nero looked at me and said, "Yes. I snuck into the City and killed a person that I could easily impersonate without being uncovered. As you can see, I've gone this many years without being seen as who I really am, and I'm planning on keeping it that way for many more. But from there on out, I worked my way into the Officials and laid in wait for the perfect opportunity. In other words, you."

The idea that I was the cause of people losing their lives and having everything they knew torn away from them was a horrible idea. But I wasn't the direct cause. I was nothing more than a catalyst in a plan that I had no knowledge about.

Nero smiled and said, "When that happened, I got my wish and watched as people, who had once looked down at me, cower in fear of me. Just as your friends will do shortly." My hands clenched into a fist. I said sternly, "I'm not going to let you hurt them anymore."

Nero laughed and told me, "And how are you going to stop me from hurting them?" I didn't answer and looked away from him. I had no way of stopping him from doing anything to them. He was probably going to kill me, or force me to watch him kill Alice and the others.

Nero rubbed his chin and asked me, "Do you think the way that people from the City treated us Outcasts was justified?" I looked at him with a pure confusion on my face. I told him, "W-well no. It wasn't justified, but that doesn't mean that they should have been brutally killed and had their lives ruined."

Nero got right in my face and hissed at me, "Why shouldn't they have been killed? They treated us like a plague by keeping us out of the City so we wouldn't infect their perfect lives." Nero stepped away from me, and I was thankful. I didn't like having that psycho that close to me.

He linked his hands together behind his back, making him looking like a teacher. He told me, "I don't want to kill you." I laughed on the inside. _That didn't seem to be the case back at the lake. And the desert. Or recently._ He continued to speak.

"You and I are the same. We are both Outcasts, shut out from the possibilities that life could have given us if we had just drawn a different card of fate. Don't you think it is about time that we get our payback for all the hardships our kind has gone through, and finally get a taste of the good life?"

He extended his hand out to me, as if offering me some kind of forbidden fruit. I stared at it for the longest time, then looked up at him. Nero's eyes showed glints of all kinds of bad intentions. My eyes went back to his hand, and I took it and gave it one good shake. "Yes, it is about time we get our fair share of payback," I told him and smiled. Nero smiled back at me and said, "Excellent."

* * *

><p><em>chapter title based off the song The Good Life by Three Days Grace.<em> this story has to end at some point. o.e but i keep thinking of plot twists. this will possibly be the longest story i ever write. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	48. Keep Your Enemies Closer

_Alice_

The Officials took us out of the room with Nero and Shun, and dumped us in one of the headquarters' many interrogation rooms. Once all of us were inside, they left and locked the door behind them. Dan scrambled up to his feet and hit his fist against the door.

"Let us out!" he shouted. I was sitting on the floor when the others started to wake. Runo's eyes were the first to open. She raised her head slightly and looked around the room, probably as confused as I was when the drugs started to wear off. "Wh-where am I?" Her voice grabbed Dan's attention, and he abandoned opening the door and ran over to her side.

"Runo, thank heavens you're awake. What did they do to you?" he said as he knelt down beside her. He helped her sit upright and she rubbed her hand with her hand as if she had a headache. "I remember being asleep near the fence cause we were waiting for you guys to come back, then we woke up and found two Officials standing in front of us. They captured us then injected us with something."

I jumped in the conversation and told her, "They injected us with drugs, and strong ones at that." Runo nodded slowly; she still looked like she wasn't sure what was real or not. I remembered how confusing things were when I woke up.

I didn't know where I was, what was going on, or anything else. All I knew was that I wasn't at where I last remembered. Runo then asked, "I don't think I remember you being around us when the Officials ambushed us. Where were you?"

Behind her, Murucho was starting to stir, but I figured he would be out for a little while longer. "I got up while you guys were sleeping and went for a walk. That was when they first got me and caught me before they got you guys. I didn't even think of warning you by yelling. Maybe you and the others wouldn't have been dragged into this mess," I said softly.

If I had just yelled and gave out a warning that they were in danger, maybe they could have gotten further up the hill. But I had known those three my whole life, and something told me that they wouldn't have run away. They would have run and looked for me.

So, maybe it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Runo told me with a smile, "Don't blame yourself, Alice. I'm sure they would have gotten us anyway." I smiled back. She then asked, "So, where exactly are we? And what's going on?"

Murucho was now sitting up and rubbing his eyes as he woke from his sleep. I knew Julie wouldn't be asleep for much longer. I said, "How about we tell them when everyone is awake. That way we don't have to explain it three times." Dan nodded and asked Runo, "Think you can wait for Julie and Murucho to wake up before we tell you?" She nodded.

Dan smiled and got up. He then went over to Brunswick and knelt beside him. I got up and joined him. "How's he doing?" I asked softly. Dan's face was grim as he stared at the blood-covered Brunswick. "I don't know. But I don't think he's in good shape." I saw where Dan tried to stop the bleeding by pressing Brunswick's shirt into a ball and trying to make a bandage.

It was already drenched in the fisherman's blood. Dan whispered, "He saved my life. I don't want to watch him die cause of me." I placed my hand on Dan's shoulder. I couldn't think of anything to say, but my simple gesture seemed to bring him a little bit of relief.

Probably more than I could have provided him if I tried to tell him something reassuring. I watched as Brunswick's chest slowly moved up and down as he took in air. I kept thinking that any one of those breathes, could be his last. His skin was pale, like all the life had been drained from it.

Dan was sitting against a wall next to me when he said, "Why did he save me though? He was a way better fighter than me. He could have already gotten you and the others out of this room and the City. I just don't understand why." Runo was staring at Dan from across the room.

She didn't understand what he was talking about because she wasn't awake to watch Brunswick take a bullet for Dan. I told him, "I don't know why he saved you, Dan, but he did. And it's too late to say that you wished he hadn't. All we can do is go on, and I'm sure that's what he would want."

Dan looked surprised by what a told him, then a small grin formed on his lips. "Guess you're right. He'd probably slap me senseless if he heard me doubting him right now." We laughed for a short moment, then regained our composure.

Across the room, Murucho and Julie had fully come to, and Runo was explaining what happened to them back in the woods. The two of my friends that had just woken up, turned and looked and Dan and I. Murucho asked, "So, what _is _going on?"

Julie chimed in after him, "Yeah. And where are we?" I glanced at Dan, who was looking back at me then told them, "We're in the Official's headquarters. This is one of the interrogation rooms." They looked around, as if just now recognizing their surroundings.

Dan continued, "A lot has happened here. Nero has taken over the Officials. We lost Val and many of the others who came with us. Feliciana and Marquis left after we escaped the first time. None of us know where they are now, or even if they're still alive. And as you can see, Brunswick is hurt cause he saved me. Right now, we're just waiting for Nero to decide what he's going to do to us next."

Murucho scratched the back of his messy hair and asked, "What about Shun? Where's he?" I felt my stomach do a turn. Dan looked down and said, "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about him. He's-" I cut him off and said, "He's back in Nero's office…We have no clue as to what's going on in there."

My mind raced with different scenarios of what Nero could have done with him. I hadn't heard a gunshot yet, so I knew for a fact that the leader of the Officials hadn't shot him. But that didn't mean that they couldn't be doing something else to him; the Officials had all sorts of torturing methods.

I remembered how the Officials had gassed the Outcasts out of their homes while we were hiding in the City. And also how they threw bombs at Feliciana, Shun, and the rest of their group. It seemed like their methods didn't end. Dan was looking at me, I could feel his eyes on me.

He said, "Yeah. What Alice said. But right now, we're trapped in here until they say otherwise." We all remained silent after that. Everyone was caught back up, and nobody had anything else to say. My thoughts went back to when Nero ordered his Officials to take us out of the room. Shun had been talking with the leader, and seemed to be hitting a few nerves.

I was sure that was part of a plan he had; even I was able to see that a direct attack on Nero would only mean a bullet to the skull. So, words might have been Shun's only other option. I wondered what was being said, if anything was even being said at all.

Nero could just as easily stabbed Shun and taken him out like that. I was positive that when that door opened, it would mean that something had become of Shun, and our fates would follow._ I just hope it won't be soon._ In the silence of our interrogation room, I could hear rain pouring down outside. A low rumble of thunder followed and verified the status of the weather. _The world is crying again, _I thought.

Crying for the horrible things that were still happening, and that would surely continue unless something was done about Nero and the Officials. But it felt like nothing would be done. We were locked away in a room, awaiting our execution, while Shun was in the lion's den with that madman.

Was this really the end for us? Like this? When we had been so close to our freedom, just to turn back around and return to what we had been running for? I shook my head. This couldn't be how it would end for us. Somehow, we would pull through like we always did.

The door clicked open, and Nero walked in. I felt my heart drop to the deepest part of my being. But it only stopped short when Shun walked in behind him. He wasn't tied up or covered in blood. He looked just like he did when we left. Nero had an evil smile on his face, one that I wanted to slap off of him.

All eyes were on him. The leader of the Officials said, "Me and the Outcast struck an agreement, and we both see it fit that you all suffer as you've made the Outcasts suffer for so long." My heart, hanging on by a thread in the bottom of my being, felt like it shattered.

Shun's eyes scanned over us, giving each of us a cold stare that matched Nero's. Each one of our faces showed pure shock, and Nero laughed. "Surprised? You shouldn't be. Years of treating us Outcasts as dirt can fuel a very strong revenge. And I doubt it matters that you all may have been friends….Or even if you were friends."

He laughed again. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. Shun had betrayed us. Or like Nero said, was he ever even with us? What if everything had been a lie? It would explain why Nero never killed him, even though he had so many chances. I wanted to scream.

At Shun, at Nero, at everyone. I tried to speak, but no words came out. _Shun? Why?_ Nero smiled and said, "I'll just let you all absorb this while we discuss how to dispose of you all, appropriately." The two of them left the room, locking the door back behind them as they left. My brain felt fried. How? How could he?

Next to me, Dan said coldly, "I knew I should have never trusted him. He was bad news from the start, but I let my guard down anyway!" He turned and punched the wall, leaving a slight dent in the sheetrock. "Sh-Shun betrayed us?" Julie asked in a shocked sounding tone. Murucho told her flatly, "It looks that way, Julie." I brought my knees up to my chest and buried my face in them.

_Shun_

Their faces. They would never forgive me, and I didn't blame them. I wouldn't even forgive myself, but it was the only thing I could do. Hopefully they would understand if everything went according to plan. But Alice's face was the one that was haunting me the most. She looked as if she had been slapped in the face.

I clenched my hand into a fist as I walked behind Nero. If things did go right, and we made it out of here, would they ever forgive me? Nero laughed and wiped a tear from his eye. "Did you see their faces when they found out you turned against them? Priceless! Especially the orange-haired girl's expression. I wish I could keep that in my memory forever. Don't you agree?"

He turned his head around to look at me. I smiled and chuckled. "Yes. It pains me to not see them again." Nero turned back around and let out a satisfied sigh. "Finally, they get what they so well deserve. How do you think we should end their miserable lives?"

He stepped back into his office, and I followed him. My eyes fell on Brunswick's puddle of blood that had yet to be cleaned up. Knowing Nero, he might keep it there as a trophy. I told him, "How about an execution?" Nero tapped his chin and thought.

"I was hoping for a way to make them suffer before they died. Something…Ironic I suppose." The idea came to my mind, and I smiled on the inside. "You could kill them out in the Wastelands." He smiled and said, "Genius! That would be perfect. To die in the place that they had cast us out for so many years. I like the way you think. And I know just the one who we'll execute first."

I raised a brow and asked, "Who do you have in mind?" Somehow, I already knew who he was thinking of. Nero looked at me with his slimy grin that I had to restrain myself from slapping off of him. "The orange-haired girl. She will die first."

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><p>aye. o.o another chapter down. but i have this kinda planned out for once. (i know, shocker) the bad thing is, i have another story that im super eager to start when i finish this one. (workaholic mode, activate!) XD at least i'll be written over the summer when i'm not that pressed for time. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	49. Hero Of War

_Alice_

The sound of the door opening was the only thing that made me look up. Maybe I thought it was Shun. No, I hoped it was Shun. Even though his betrayal was still fresh in my mind, I wanted to see him again. I wanted to ask him why he turned against us.

A tiny place inside my mind kept screaming that he would have never done something like this, but the rest of my mind was screaming and raging over the fact that I had witnessed him join Nero. I didn't know which part of my mind to listen to. I watched as Nero, Shun, and a group of Officials filed into the room. All of us remained silent as their eyes scanned over us.

Dan was glaring at them. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he was thinking right now, but I was sure that it was a replay of how he acted when we found out Shun turned against us. He was probably yelling at himself for trusting Shun.

I didn't know if I should have been doing the same thing or not. Nero began to pace around the room and said, "We came to a decision on what will become of you all. My Officials will escort you out to the Wastelands, and we'll go from there." The Officials went behind us, and tied our hands together.

Nobody resisted against them. Cameron was the Official escorting me out, Dan had Kat, and the others had Officials that I didn't recognize or remember. I noticed they weren't taking Brunswick, but why would they? He was on the verge of dying anyway.

As we were herded down the halls, I noticed that I was walking beside Shun. I kept my head lowered, but glanced at him. He kept his gaze straight ahead. I whispered to him, "Shun. Shun." In front of me, Kat turned around and snapped, "Quiet back there!"

I shut my mouth, but chanced a look up at Shun again. He was still looking forward. Did he even hear me, or was he ignoring me? I decided it didn't matter, and kept my gaze adverted to the floor in front of me. We turned and stepped through the front doors of the headquarters, and into the City's main street.

Rain was drizzling, causing the dirt roads to turn to a muddy mixture. I looked around at the City, seeing what the Officials had done to it since our departure. I saw nobody in the streets, or in the houses. Did they even leave anybody alive? Surely they didn't kill everyone.

An Official behind me, lightly pushed me with his hand and said, "Speed up." I did as he said and caught back up next to Shun. Rain had soaked my hair, turning my curls dark and straight. I saw the gate to the Wastelands open up in front of us. We went through and crossed over into the dead land.

Nero said to us, "Just a little further." We walked through the wet ash until we reached a small patch of freshly burned ground. By looking at the distance we were from the City, I realized we were back at the small town that the Outcasts used to live in.

Shun even looked surprised at the location that Nero had picked, but he quickly regained his emotionless composure. Nero said briskly, "Bring me the orange-haired girl." Cameron grabbed on tightly to my tied hands and dragged me over to Nero. "Ouch!" I said when Cameron's nails dug into my arm.

He let go of me and I faced Nero; Dan and the rest of my friends stood behind him so they could be forced to watch whatever Nero had in store for me. Nero pulled out a hand pistol and tapped the barrel in his hand. "Now that we're here, I suppose we can get started. Thanks to the help of your old friend here, we felt it was a fitting punishment to drop you all dead in the place that you threw us out in so we could suffer and die. I only hate that this will be quick."

My mind couldn't wrap around the fact that Shun helped to come up with this demented plan. Didn't he understand that Nero helped kill Christina and the rest of the Outcasts, even though it was under Xavier's orders? He pulled back the hammer on the pistol so a round would load into the chamber.

I shut my eyes tightly and waited to here the gun fire and for everything to go black. But instead of the load pop I expected, I heard Shun's voice. "Hold it!" I opened my eyes to see Shun stepping in front of Nero. I smiled, thinking that Shun had seen the wrong that was about to happen and was going to put a stop to it.

Nero raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?" Shun held out his hand and said, "Give me the gun. I want to be the one who fires first." The little hope that had built up inside of me, fell back down to where it had been. I saw the shocked faces of my friends behind Nero and his gang.

They were just like me; unable to believe that Shun was going to be the one who would shoot and kill me. Nero tapped the barrel of the gun on his chin as he thought about Shun's proposal. He then smiled and handed over the pistol. "I think it's only fair," said the Official's leader.

Shun smiled and opened the chamber, revealing the six bullets inside. He then shut it and spun the rounds and pulled the hammer back like Nero had done. I felt tears starting to spill over my eyes and down my cheeks. I didn't want to die. Not like this.

And not by the hand's of the person I cared so much for. It was like slow-motion when he lifted the pistol up and had it pointed right at me. My eyes went down the barrel of the gun and looked at his. They were cold and unwavering, and I saw my own reflection in their amber pools.

I looked like the scared little girl I had been at the beginning of this madness. I shook my head, sending water from my wet hair flying around me. _"Don't,"_ I mouthed to him. His expression didn't change, and I saw his finger start to tighten around the trigger.

I wanted to close my eyes, but I also wanted to see if he would show any signs of regret when he fired. So, they stayed open and never left him. Maybe my face would haunt him after this. A slight grin appeared on his face, then he winked at me and turned around, firing a bullet into Kat.

_Shun_

I turned and shot the round into Kat's abdomen, sending her down to her knees and clutching her sides. Nero shouted, "What the hell do you think you're doing!" Kat was screaming in pain, then doubled over on the ground. Cameron ran over to her, and caught him in the knee with a bullet.

The rest of the Officials finally registered what was happening, and they began to reach for their weapons. They didn't get this chance because Dan and Murucho charged at them and tackled one. When the two of them fell to the ground on top of the Official, I saw their hand restraints snapped, freeing them.

I felt something hit me in my ribs, and I turned to meet another one of Nero's fists. I stumbled back, holding my chin. "Traitor," he hissed. My lip had busted open from his punch and my hand was covered with my own blood. Nero's hand reached to take his pistol back, but I kept it out of his reach.

"I don't think so," I told him. I tried to load another round, but my hands, slick with my blood, couldn't get a grip. The gun ended up slipping from my grasp and landing on the rain-soaked ground. Nero growled then lunged at me. His hands wrapped around my throat, pinning me to the ground. I struggled to get air, but was unable to get his hands off of me.

Nero's eyes were wild and mad when he said, "You know, I was actually planning on killing you after this anyway." Lightning flashed behind him, making him look all the more insane. My vision was starting to fade around the edges. It wouldn't be much longer before I blacked out.

Behind Nero, I saw a figure moving around. Then, I piece of charred wood swung and hit him in the head, sending burned bits of the wood everywhere as it broke. Nero's grip left my throat as he fell over and unconscious. I sat up, taking in gulps of air and holding the place where Nero had been choking me.

I looked up and saw Alice had been the one who knocked the psychopath off of me. She knelt beside me and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I wondered how she got out of her restraints. She asked, "Are you ok?" I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed her back some.

"Yeah. I'm fine thanks to you." Her eyes were still wide with fear when she said, "I-I thought you were really going to shoot me." I smiled and said, "Had you guys going, didn't I?" She narrowed her eyes at me and hit my arm. "Don't do that again!" she shouted then smiled and laughed.

Nero was starting to come to. He shouted to his Officials, "Get him!" I looked up and saw Dan had was in a fistfight with one, but the other two Officials were ganging up on him. One of them caught a hit on him, causing him to fall over and out cold. They recovered their pistols and hurried over to us.

My eyes frantically searched for the gun I dropped. Nero and I saw it at the same time. We looked at each other for a moment, then shot off for the weapon. He dove and grabbed the gun before me, and rolled over onto his back, pointing the barrel at me.

I froze and realized the three Officials had me in their sights as well. I looked past them and saw Cameron holding onto his knee, while Kat was no longer moving. Near them, Dan was coming back to consciousness and Murucho was untying Runo and Julie.

Alice was still where I had left her. She stood there, and I could see in her eyes that she was trying to figure out how to help me. I shook my head and mouthed to her, _"Run!"_ She shook her head, refusing to leave. Nero's crazed voice pulled my attention away from her.

"You…..Ha-ha…You thought you were pretty smart, didn't ya?" His hands shook around the bloody pistol. "But you weren't smart enough. You could have gotten the payback you so well deserved, yet you still were sided with them. Why? What are they worth to you that would make you save them?"

I stared him down in his wild eyes and said, "The truth and knowing that they are the ones I can trust and who are on my side." Nero laugh, but he suddenly stopped and turned serious. "Kill the traitor so I don't have to look at this disgrace any longer. I'll take care of the ones that are on his side."

The three Officials loaded their guns and pointed them at me. The one right in front of me smiled and said, "I knew we should have done this a long-" A gush of blood exploded from his head, and I heard the bone of his skull crack. He dropped on the ground, and I saw what killed him. A rock.

I looked around and saw Feliciana running towards us. The two remaining Officials started to fire at her. I saw her swinging her weapon, and heard a rock shoot by their heads. They ducked and ran away in a panic. Dan, who had apparently taken a gun from either Kat or Cameron, shot a bullet at them and got one in the back.

Blood gushed out of the wound and he dropped dead. Feliciana ran up to me out of breath and said, "I didn't think I could hit him from that far away." I smiled and said, "H-how did you?" She held up her rope weapon and said, "While I was getting Marquis and myself out of the City, we ran across our weapons.

Of course, I took mine back, and that might have been a good thing cause when were started up the mountain, we heard all this mess going on." She was about to say something else when a bullet shot past me and clipped her arm. It left a gash and blood started to pour from the wound.

She yelled curses from the pain, and I turned around to see Nero had been the one who shot her. _Four._ Feliciana growled behind me and she found a rock on the ground. Using her good arm, she placed it in the weapon and flung it at Nero, who hadn't been expecting it.

It hit him in the stomach, throwing him off balance. I took the opportunity and tackled him down. Water splashed up from the ground when he fell. He still held his pistol in his hand and he attempted to shoot me. I grabbed onto his wrist and caused him to shoot a round up into the air. _Three._

I was then distracted by Dan, who was still shooting at the panicking Officials. He had shot another dead, and was working on the last one. Murucho was trying to get Alice to go with him and Runo and Julie to a safer place. Alice kept refusing her friends' pleas.

Due to not paying attention to the dangerous man I was holding down, Nero had escaped my grip and shot a bullet into my thigh. I screamed out in pain as the projectile cut through my leg. _Two._ I found the strength and regained a hold on Nero's wrist, keeping the gun, and last round, away from me.

The leader of the Officials had apparently worn himself out as he struggled to free himself because I found that he wasn't putting up much of a fight anymore, and he was trying to catch his breath. He found a sudden burst of strength and was able to pull the trigger again.

I ducked and actually felt the bullet go by my head. _One._ I pushed his arm down, making the gun in his hand point right at his head. He tried to push back, but I had the upper hand. Nero said through clenched teeth, "What will killing me accomplish? The Officials will still be after you, and they'll find you no matter where you go. You'll never be able to escape. My death will only fuel their will to end your lives."

I pulled the hammer back on the gun and shrugged. "Oh well, at least we won't have to worry about you again." I forced Nero's finger to pull the trigger on the gun that I had him holding to his head. The bullet cracked through his skull, and shot out the other side. His body went limp in an instant. _Zero._

I pried the gun out of his hand and opened the chamber. The six rounds that had been in there, were now gone. One in Kat. One in the air. One in Feliciana's arm. One in my leg. One past my head. And one in Nero's skull. All six rounds. I closed the chamber and threw the pistol as far as I could.

I tried to stand up, but my shot leg buckled underneath me. I fell back down, clutching the hole in my thigh. Alice ran over to me. The others quickly came over after her. Feliciana was holding on tightly to her arm, blood poured from between her fingers as the wound bled under her hand.

I saw something running towards the City, and saw it was the Official that Dan had been trying to shoot down. I said, "He's getting away." The brunette looked at the running Official and said, "Let him run back and tell his friends that Nero's dead. Oh, and by the way." Dan kicked me in my side.

I yelled at him, "The hell!" He snapped at me, "That was for the stunt you pulled back in the City and making us think you turned on us!" I rubbed my side and hoped he didn't break one of my ribs. Then, he held out his hand to me and said, "And this is for pulling that stunt and saving us."

I stared at him, then took his hand as I had done Nero's. He then helped to pull me up on my feet, where I balanced myself on my good leg. Murucho was looking over my injury and said, "We need to get him and Feliciana patched up before we go anywhere." We turned to look back at the City, but not because that was the only place we could go to for medical help. But because we heard gunfire, and saw Officials shooting at one another.

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><p><em>chapter title based off the song Hero Of War by Rise Against <em>:) i think y'all see what i did there. (maybe not. im not sure what should be seen o.o) two more days, then i'm free from the public education system for two months! -dances- well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	50. Fissure

_Shun_

Dan and Feliciana were working as my support as we made our ways back to the City. Thanks to the bullet wound in my thigh, I was unable to walk, and the slightest pressure I put on it sent me into a world of pain. Murucho said, "We need to be careful when we get back in. There's no telling what they're really doing."

After I killed Nero and one of his Officials slipped away, gunfire started to explode from the City. From our distance, it looked like the Officials were firing at one another, but we weren't sure. So, to make sure the Officials weren't attacking any other innocent people that may have survived their wrath, we decided to step in and take over if that was the case.

That, and Feliciana and I needed to have our wounds treated, and the City was the only place with what we required for injuries of this extent. Her arm was still bleeding, but nowhere near like mine. My leg was still gushing blood, and I could feel myself growing lightheaded.

The gate was still open, allowing us to walk right through the City's front door. We had been right when we thought the Officials were firing at each other. They were everywhere, hiding behind objects and firing rifles. Bodies of those who died in the gunfire lined the streets.

Feliciana whispered to us, "Stay low so nobody gets shot." It hurt for me to crouch down, but I made due and we hurried across the street and into an alley. Bullets shot by and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. Runo said softly, "I wonder why they're shooting at each other."

I did too. I thought Nero's death would have joined them like the old leader had said, but it seems like it may have torn them apart by their weakened threads. I heard footsteps coming from behind us, and turned around. There was an Official that had come from down the alley.

"Who's there?" he asked in a shaky voice. He didn't look armed, just scared. Dan spoke up and asked him, "Would you mind telling us what the hell is going on out there?" He pointed with his thumb to the battlefield outside of the alley.

The Official raised an eyebrow, as if not sure as to trust us or not. In this madhouse, it had to be difficult to decipher who was friend or foe. He nodded and said, "Come with me. I'll fill you in on what's happening." Feliciana stopped us from following him and asked, "How do we know we can trust this guy? He's an Official and worked for Nero."

Alice walked up behind her and said sweetly, "We can trust him." The Official blinked in surprise when he saw her, and I saw a glint of recognition. He knew her, and apparently she knew him. How, I wasn't sure. Probably from before the cleansing.

Feliciana told her, "If you say so, but I'm keeping my guard up." The Official nodded and said, "Alright, this way." We followed him down the alley, keeping him a good distance in front of us. "How are you sure we can trust him?" I whispered, but loud enough for the others to hear.

All of us were eager to hear her answer to see if it was a good choice to be following this guy, or just misjudgment. She told us, "His name's Jack. He was the one who drugged me back in the woods, but I knew he didn't want to. He was just following orders. You guys might not trust him, but I do."

What this guy did to her was enough to make me weary. He injected her with drugs that made reality impossible to see. I decided to keep my guard up around him as well. Julie smiled and said happily, "If Alice trusts him, that's good enough for me." Jack stopped and unlocked a door that looked like it hadn't been opened in years.

It opened with ease though and he said, "Here. You'll all be safe from the fighting." He stepped inside and we filed in behind him. Jack lit the oil lamps in the hideout. The outside of the place may have looked unused, but the inside was another story. It was in well kept condition and looked very inhabited; not like some hole-in-the-wall that he may have found last minute when the fighting broke out.

"Take a seat," he said. I opted to stand, seeing that my leg could hardly move from the position it was in now. Sitting would only make things worse. Plus, I didn't think he'd want blood all over the mismatched furniture he had accumulated. Feliciana stayed with me and helped to keep my balanced, while Dan took a seat on a sofa next to Runo.

He then asked, "Now can you tell us what's going on?" Jack closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I suppose so. I know you're the ones who killed Nero out in the Wastelands. Everybody knows that. But afterwards, one of his Officials made it back and spread the word that our leader was dead. It was like the ground breaking apart after that."

Even this far away from the shooting, I could hear it loud and clear. Jack turned on another oil lamp that he had missed and said, "One of the higher ranking Officials, Isis, tried to take over his place. But Officials who had been debating over whether what they were doing was right or wrong from the start of the cleansing…Well, some of them had enough. Those who were fortunate enough to see and decide that this pointless killing was wrong, turned against those who were still loyal to the cause. Thus, bringing the two sides to shooting each other."

I swayed back and forth on my feet, and began to feel closer to blacking out. Feliciana steadied me and said quickly, "That's all fine and dandy, but I think we should go ahead and get some medical treatment before we go any further." My eyes found the pool of blood on the floor.

Most of it was mine, I was sure, but some of it could have been Feliciana's since her arm was still bleeding. Jack stood up and said, "Of course. Come with me upstairs." What was upstairs that could help stop myself from dying from blood loss?

Dan helped Feliciana get my up the stairs, which was a hassle and horrid experience on my part. When we reached the top, I thought I would black out from pain rather than my injury. I found that we had walked up into a clinic though. All kinds of doctor equipment and related things lined the walls and tables.

Jack laid the examination table all the way back and said, "Put him here." Dan and Feliciana helped me over to it and did as he said. I heard Dan ask, "Why is their a clinic over your house?" I watched as Jack pulled out a pair of scissors and cut a hole in my bloodied pants so he could gain access to my wound.

He said, "I was a personal doctor to the Officials. They felt for the longest time that they deserved a private doctor instead of what the rest of the people got, so I was assigned to them. It was Xavier's decision to have the place hidden away so others wouldn't find it, and he made me move my home downstairs so I wouldn't look suspicious going to and from this place. I do like the peace and quiet here at times though."

He cleaned the blood and dirt from around the wound, and some of the antiseptic touched the raw hole in my leg, causing me to cry out. "Sorry," he said. Alice was standing next to me, staring in horror at my leg. I was surprised myself at how bad the injury was.

Being close to Nero's gun had made the wound much, much worse that it would have from a distance. Gunpowder from the shot had burned my skin, and the bullet itself had torn apart my flesh as it entered. Murucho asked Jack, "So, you were never an Official?"

Jack shook his head and continued to disinfect my leg. "Nope. Just worked for the savages." He bent over to get a closer look at the hole in my leg and said, "I think I see the bullet. I'll just have to dig it out and stitch the wound back up. Easy as that." I laid my head back down and shut my eyes.

Next to me, Alice asked, "Shun? Are you ok?" I thought to myself, _Yeah. Perfectly fine with a hole in my leg._ But I bit back the words I was thinking and told her the truth. "I'm getting lightheaded is all." Jack had left my side and was going through his tools. "He's lost a good amount of blood, so he's going to be feeling the effects of it. No need to worry though."

He returned with a syringe and flicked the plastic tube with his finger, mixing up the liquid inside. I asked, "What's that?" He cleaned a spot off on my arm where the needle would go and said, "An anesthetic. You need to be sedated unless you want to deal with the pain of me digging the bullet out. And something tells me you won't be very still if I do that and allow you to be awake for it."

I felt the little sting of the needle and watched as he injected me with the sedative. Jack then walked back over to his tray of equipment and picked up his next tool for the job. I felt the drug taking its hold. Alice took my hand in hers and said, "You'll be fine." I smiled and said jokingly, "Hope so." I then drifted off as the drug finished its job.

_Alice_

We had gone back downstairs and into Jack's living space. He was still up in his clinic and working on Shun. In the meantime, he had given a bandage to Feliciana so her arm would stop bleeding. But right now, Shun was a more important patient. I played with my thumbs and tapped my foot to try and pass the time.

Runo got up from her chair and sat next to me. "He's going to be fine, Alice." I smiled at her and said, "I know. I'm just a natural worrier I guess." And it was true. My mind couldn't help but think of the bad outcomes instead of good ones. I heard footsteps coming down from the stairs, and Jack appeared in the room.

"Well, got the bullet out and the wound stitched up. He's still asleep from the sedatives though. I can get you stitched up now, ma'am." He was looking at Feliciana. She nodded and said, "That would be very much appreciated." Jack nodded and took her upstairs to fix her arm.

It didn't take him as long as it had with Shun. In fact, she was in and out of there in less than an hour, and sported thirty stitches. Jack sighed and sat down on one of his couches, then wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I'm exhausted," he said. He wasn't the only one.

I was dog-tired myself, and everyone else seemed to be as well. Proof of that was when I saw Murucho had fallen asleep next to Julie on a sofa. Runo suggested, "Why don't we all get some sleep? We could really use some of it." We all found comfortable places on the couches and sofa.

One by one, we began to fall asleep. When I thought about, the only rest we had gotten was from being knocked-out. And trust me, that wasn't a very good nap. I laid my head on the armrest of a sofa and fell asleep, but woke up shortly afterwards. Around me, everyone was sound asleep, and only a few of the many oil lamps still burned.

Even Jack had fallen asleep on the couch where he sat down after tending to Feliciana. Curiosity and concern drove me upstairs to check on Shun. Was he still asleep? Or had he woken up yet? I opened the door and stepped into the clinic.

Shun was still laying on the examination table where Jack had performed the surgery on him. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and a dead give away that he was still out. My eyes fell on his leg. Jack had wrapped Shun's thigh up with a thick layer of bandages.

If Feliciana's arm took thirty stitches, I hated to know how many it took to close up the gaping hole in Shun's leg. The only sound in the clinic was of Shun's breathing. A voice from behind me said, "I hope you know that I never wanted to drug you and your friends."

I whipped around and saw Jack standing in the doorway. I placed my hand over my speeding heart and smiled. "Oh, it's you. You nearly scared me to death." He laughed and said, "Sorry. Can't help that I have a light footstep at times. But you do know that I didn't want to, right?"

I nodded, remembering how he apologized before injecting me with hallucinogenic drugs, and how I saw all the regret in his eyes. "I know you didn't want to, and I'm not holding a grudge against you for that. I never even thought of holding a grudge against you, and even if I did, it would have been gone by now after what you've done for us." He thanked me and smiled.

"I never wanted to be involved with those Officials. But they didn't give me much choice. They promised my pay would be better, and that I would be safe from whatever may happen in the future. And when I found out that 'whatever may happen in the future' was this mass killing, I really didn't want to be involved with them. But better pay was replaced with a gun pointed at my head. I couldn't get out, even if I wanted to."

I had never thought about it, but Jack was as much of a victim in this as the rest of us. He was threatened and at the mercy of the Officials like everyone else. It just went to prove that even those who were on the sides of the Official, weren't truly safe.

He cleared his throat and said, "Well, I'll go on back downstairs and leave you to yourself." I stopped him when he began to vanish in the darkness of the stairwell. "Hey, Jack." He turned and looked at me. "Yeah?" I smiled and said, "I just wanted to thank you again."

Jack smiled and told me, "No problem. It's nice helping to good guys for once." He then disappeared down the stairs. Beside me, Shun started to stir. His eyes opened slightly. "Alice?" he asked in a slurred and sleepy voice.

I told him, "Yeah, it's me. Go on back to sleep." He shut his eyes and nodded, then was out again. I pulled up a chair and sat down next to the examination table, and fell asleep by Shun.

* * *

><p>one more day till freedom! FREEDOM! -runs with sparklers and cheers- o.o oh...people are watching me running like an idiot. time to go hide. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	51. Over The Cliff

_Shun_

I finally woke from my sleep-induced state. Groggy and still feeling the last effects of the drug in my system, I slowly sat up and looked around. I was still on the examination table of the clinic. An empty chair was on the floor beside the table. _So somebody was in here last night._

I could have sworn that I heard talking late last night, and I wasn't entirely sure if it was for real, or if I was dreaming it up. One of the voices had been Alice's, and I knew for a fact that I had heard it. Odds were that she had been the one sitting in the chair that had mysteriously moved from one place to another.

I smiled then began to wonder where she was now. My ears picked up the faint sound of people downstairs in the place where Jack lived. My attention went from the muffled talking, to my leg. Last I remembered, there had been a bloody hole in my thigh.

Now, thick bandages were wrapped tightly, and neatly, around where the wound had been. I brought my hand to the wound and was surprised when I discovered that my leg was numb. The door to the clinic opened, and Jack walked in. "Oh, I see you finally woke up." Alice, Feliciana, and Dan filed in behind him. "Runo, Julie, and Murucho are still downstairs eating breakfast," Alice informed me.

I nodded and turned my attention towards Jack. I asked, "Why is my leg numb?" Slight paranoia overtook me, and I began to worry if something was wrong. Jack smiled and said, "Nothing to fret. I numbed up your leg so you wouldn't feel the after pain of the operation."

I began to calm down now that I knew that the numbness my limb was feeling was intended, and not the results of something gone wrong. I had every right to worry when it came down to whether I would be able to walk or not. I finally noticed that Alice was holding a tray of food in her hands.

She seemed to remember it was there as well cause she looked down at it, then set the tray down on a small table next to me. Jack then said, "Thought you might want something to eat. Well, you kind of have no choice, seeing as you need to eat to help along with your recovery."

He shrugged his shoulders and vanished down the stairs. I saw the bandages on Feliciana's arm and said, "I see he patched you up as well." She looked down at her bandage and said, "Yeah, and he did a pretty good job too." I then wondered what my patchwork looked like under my bandages, then decided it might be best not to know. Alice smiled and said, 'Well, we'll leave you to some peace and quiet and let you eat."

The three of them left the room, and I kind of wished that Alice had stayed behind to keep me company. But my wishes were forgotten when I smelled the food. When was the last time I had eaten? It had been a while. A _long _while.

My stomach growled with anger from not being fed, and I didn't protest to deny it any longer. I picked up my plate of food, looking it over to make sure it wouldn't vanish into thin air before me. I cleaned the plate from its contents, and felt like I had forgotten what food tasted like.

Feeling content with my full belly, I placed the tray back on the table next to me and sighed. This wasn't good. From what I could see, we were getting comfortable in this place. And last time that happened, the Lake Zone had been torn apart and people died.

With plenty of food, warmth, and shelter, we had no reason to leave. Other than the warring Officials back in the center of the City. Were they even still fighting? I strained my hearing and could only pick up on the sounds of people talking downstairs. I couldn't pinpoint any of their gunfire.

Maybe they had stopped or called a truce. Regardless, we couldn't stay here. We had come so far and lost way too much to take refuge in the place we ran from. I swung my body around and slowly touched my feet to the cold, tile floor.

Then, I added my weight on my good leg, trying to keep as much off the bad one as I could. But to much of my surprise, the numbness in my leg allowed me to stand on it. At first it felt weird, but I got used to the feeling of a ghost leg. I opened the door to the staircase and cautiously made my way down.

Now this presented a challenge since I couldn't bend my leg all that much. My movement was limited, so it took me a little while to reach the base of the stairs. Alice and the others saw me, but she was the one to say, "Shun, you need to stay off that leg until it gets better."

Until it got better? How long would that take? Too long in my book, and we didn't have that kind of time to waste. I told them, "We need to leave."

_Alice_

Shun wanted to leave? On that leg? I laughed on the inside at the thought of it. Julie asked in a confused tone, "Now? But why?" He said sternly, "Things have quieted down now. We have the perfect opportunity to leave and get back to the mountain without running the risk of getting shot, captured, or killed."

Shun propped himself up against the wall, favoring his uninjured leg more than the bandage-wrapped one. I told him, "Shun, you won't get anywhere on that leg." Jack chimed in after me and said, "She's right. Like you said, things have quieted down now. You all have plenty of time to spare, and heal, before you go anywhere."

Shun sighed in aggravation and asked, "How long till my leg is healed enough for travel?" Why did he want to get out of here so badly? Jack had been a generous host to us; giving us food, shelter, and medical treatment. We were truly lucky that he was on our side.

And yet, Shun wanted to leave here as soon as we possibly could? Jack thought before saying, "If you stay off of it, you should be good to go in a day or so. The wound will still need to be cleaned to prevent infection, but you should be able to walk on it without risking or causing anymore damage."

Shun nodded to let Jack know that he understood. Julie jumped back into the conversation and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to get out of here? We're safe." He stared at her and asked, "Do you remember the last time we felt safe somewhere?" Was this a trick question?

Since the Officials went mad, none of us felt safe. The last time we even felt the slightest bit of safety was back at the lake. Then I realized what he was getting at. Feeling safe was nothing more than an illusion. If you did feel safe somewhere, odds were that you wouldn't be for much longer.

Not as long as the causers of all this destruction were still running rampant through the streets and after us. Although, they were preoccupied with one another at the moment. It was a perfect chance to slip by unnoticed, but Shun's leg wouldn't permit it. Neither would I.

"I do remember, and I agree that we should get moving as soon as we possibly can," I told them. Shun gave me a slight smile that only I could see. There was a wave of mumbling and words of protest with what I said. I quieted them down and said, "Hush! Shun has a point. Now is the best time to sneak out of here without being spotted while the Officials are fighting each other. They aren't going to be personal enemies much longer, so we need to get out before they join back up. If they do while we're still here, then we'll be trapped again. And quite frankly, I want out of this place."

They were silent, and this silence brought about the faint and distant sounds of Official gunfire. They were still fighting one another, but for how much longer? Feliciana stepped forward and said, "I agree with Alice. It would be for the best if we left and returned to the mountain as soon as we can." It looked like the others were seeing reason as to why we couldn't stay.

I wanted to just as much as they did, but I also wanted to do what was in the best interest for our group. Staying behind while the Officials were shooting, wasn't in our best interest. Plus, Jack was still the private doctor for the Officials, and they would surely turn to him to treat their injuries.

Even though Jack was our friend, he was a liability to us. Runo looked over at our new friend and asked him, "So, two days?" He nodded. They were talking about Shun's leg and when he would be able to travel without causing himself any more damage. That night, while everyone had gone to sleep, I snuck outside of Jack's home.

I needed some fresh air and time to myself. The night sky was clear and I could see the stars that dotted its blackness with light. A sliver of the moon provided extra light. I let out a sigh of relaxation as the cool wind blew around me and down the alley.

I began to walk, staying cautious in case an Official strayed from the fighting. I heard none of the gunfire from earlier, but somehow I knew they were only taking a break. I followed the alley and came out at the Courtyard. I had to hold back the gasp in the back of my throat.

Officials littered the streets, their blood mixing with the dirt roads and clumping together as it dried. Those who were still alive, moaned in pain as their life slowly bled from their wounds. I saw a hint of irony in the situation though. They had spent their lives 'protecting' us, and now they needed somebody to protect them.

I heard talking nearby, and quietly followed the voices. Since I saw no living or well Officials running around in the streets, I walked into the open. I had no reason to fear being spotted when the only eyes on me were either dead or dying. I peered into a window and saw a large group of Officials.

Instinctively, I ducked down and out of sight to keep myself from being seen. The window, which was partially open, allowed me to hear the conversations they were having. They were discussing what they would do next, and I tried to decipher whether they were the good guys or the bad.

Since Nero's death, they broke into two groups'; those who knew what they were doing was wrong, and those who still thought it was right. A woman's voice was speaking to the group. It carried a sense of authority behind it. She had to be the one leading them.

Slowly, I peered just above the windowsill and watched them. From what I could recall, a good many of them were high-ranking. An Official with a shaved head asked, "What's our next move, Isis?" The name of the woman Official caused a spur of memory inside of me.

Jack had said that after Nero's death, she tried to take over the Officials. I knew now, that they weren't the ones on our side. Isis moved some of her dark brown hair out of her face and said, "The traitors are running low on weapons and ammo. It won't be much longer before they give in or we overpower them. We just have to keep pushing them to the edge of the cliff, and when they're about to fall over, we pull them back and make them pay for their crimes."

Something grabbed onto my ankle, and I looked down to see a dying Official looking up at me. "Help me," he said in a raspy voice. I pulled my ankle from his hand and stepped back. When I did, I bumped into a crate, causing it to topple over with a loud crash.

Slowly, I looked up and into the window that I had been eavesdropping on. They all looked back at me, unsure of what to do. Isis then ordered, "Capture her!" I didn't have to think before my legs took off and I was running back to Jack's. I heard the Officials running after me from far behind.

I had to hurry up and lose them. If I allowed them to see where me and the others were hiding, then we would be running from the City a lot sooner than two days. The tip of my foot caught on something, causing me to fall forward and land on the ground.

When I was about to get up and start running again, I took a moment and looked around. I found that I had run back to the area of the City where I had lived with my grandfather, and was even right back in front of my house. I heard the Officials shouting to capture me, and I got up and rain into my old home.

I pushed open the door and slammed it shut, then hunkered down against the wall. Chancing a peek out of the window, I looked out and watched them run by. I stayed there for a while and finally left the confines of my old home and hurried back to the others, making sure to stay close to the shadows so I wouldn't be seen again.

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><p>ah. my first day of summer vacation. X3 i would have enjoyed sleeping in, but my dogs decided they were going to howl and bark. in the house. at seven in the morning. -.-'' we're about to be minus two dogs. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	52. Revolution

_Shun_

The two days that I was bedridden felt like they would never end. The only good thing was that I wasn't holed up in the clinic upstairs and by myself. I had been allowed to stay down in Jack's living space with the others, but I was still stuck on a couch and basically being forced to stayed there.

In the meantime, the others tried to keep themselves occupied. Feliciana was teaching Dan some of her hunting and fighting techniques, Alice and Runo were straightening things up in the house, and Julie babbled to Murucho about anything and everything.

I glanced at Alice as she fixed a crooked book on a shelf. A couple of days ago she had snuck out of the house late at night and informed us about what was going on in the outside world. Isis, the Official who tried to take Nero's place after his death, had accomplished the next best thing; she had control over the Officials who were still disillusioned and thought that what they were doing was in the name of all that was right and good.

She also told us that the Officials who were fighting against them, weren't holding up so well. I thought that if they lost, and Isis reformed the divided Officials, we would have another Nero on our hands. I shuddered when I remembered Nero telling me that just cause he was dead, didn't make a difference.

The Officials would still come after us, and more of us would still die. That was before I made him pull the trigger and blow his brains out with his own gun. But those words still hung at the edge of my mind. I wanted to get rid of them, but a part of me kept holding onto them. I wasn't sure why.

But we didn't know anything else about what was happening outside. None of us even thought about venturing out there until it was truly time to go. Alice's experience had scared the others enough to put them in that situation. But now it was time to go.

I could travel, and Jack was putting together us some supplies in case we ran into trouble. He handed the last supply bag to Murucho and said, "I'll lead you guys through the alleys and back to the gate." We nodded as he opened the door to the outside world.

It was daytime and the sun was blindingly bright. Quietly, our group retraced our path through the buildings that made up the alleys. I was keeping good pace with them, despite my leg still being wrapped up and slightly sore. Jack had also made sure to give me plenty of pain medications for my leg as it continued to heal.

He stopped us and whispered sternly, "Get down!" We did as he said, and just in time. Officials ran past the entrance to the alley, and if we hadn't hidden when we did, they would have certainly seen us. The gunfire had moved from the Courtyard area to somewhere further off in the City.

All that was left were bodies of Officials and the ones who were standing guard outside of an old house next to us. Alice whispered softly, "That's where Isis was having her meeting." Next to her, Dan said, "That must be their new headquarters then." The stench of dead bodies was enough to flip my stomach around, but I refused to get sick.

Not right then and there, at least. Jack motioned with his hand for us to follow him. He said, "I know a way around the building so they won't see us. It should spit us out right in front of the gate."

He took us through the detour and sure enough, we were staring right at the gate. It was still wide open, a wonderful invitation of freedom that we had longed for since day one. Jack told us, "Alright, you all need to run as fast as you can. Don't stop for anything until you reach the mountain. We don't want to take any chances of the Officials seeing you and coming after you."

Alice blinked and asked him, "What about you? Aren't you coming with us, Jack?" He gave her a sad smile and shook his head. Murucho asked, "Why not?" Jack looked around at the two buildings we were hiding between, as if reminiscing about an old memory. He told us, "Whether I wanted to do or didn't want to do what I did, I've done things I'm not proud of. I've hurt too many people for an unjust cause, and I don't want to face the eyes of people whose families I helped harm. It would be too much for me to handle. Besides, I have some other things to take care of."

He smiled sadly at us again. "I'm sure the survivors will forgive you, Jack," Julie whined. He only shook his head again. "No. I've made my choice on what I'm going to do, and if staying behind while this City falls apart, then so be it. I'll go down with the people I helped do evil things."

At that moment, I could see the faces of every person he was forced to hurt in his eyes. And with each one, he showed pure remorse and regret. A safer life and freedom on the other side of the mountain, could never ease and bring peace to his soul. And like he said, he would have to stare down the faces of people's friends and families that he harmed.

They might not have known it, but he would. Dan held his hand out to Jack and the doctor returned the favor by shaking it. "Thank you for all of your help," said Dan. Runo added in, "Yeah! I'm not sure what we would have done if you hadn't found us."

The others began to give him their thanks. Alice told him, "Stay safe for us, Jack." He nodded and smiled. I turned to him and said, "See it that the right side wins this fight." Jack laughed and said, "I will." With our goodbyes said, we ran across the street and through the gate. Not stopping, just like Jack told us.

_Shun_

We reached the rusted chain link fence in no time. Dan spotted a hole that had been cut in the metal. Beside me, Alice said to herself, "Must be where the Officials got through that night." And by that night, she meant when she, Runo, Julie, and Murucho were captured by the Officials.

Jack had been there and was forced to drug them so they would offer no resistance. One by one, we ducked under the fence and crossed over to the other side. Alice and I remained on the other side. Runo asked us, "Are you two going to go through sometime this week?"

We turned and looked at each other. She smiled and said, "Just like old times, huh?" I smiled back at her, remembering all the times she and I slipped through the fence that encased the City. Well, she did most of the going through. I only went through once.

But the memories were still there, and we both had come a long way from the people who we used to be. She was no longer the girl that feared for her safety each time she snuck out of the City to see me or the other Outcasts, or the same girl who chased after me through the Wastelands after I stole food.

And I was no longer the same guy who thought I only had one life to live, or thought that all people from the City were the same. I said, "How about you go first?" She smiled and ducked under the fence; a symbol to how far we had come.

It would be the last time, and it would bring a better future than any of us could have had back down in the City. I then ducked under and stepped through the other side. I then knew why people said the grass was greener on the other side. I looked up at the luscious trees and birds that sat in the branches and sang their songs.

A whole world that was untouched by the world we had grown up knowing. Leaves littered the ground of grass underneath our feet. A breeze blew past us, carrying the smells of the forest. It was a much better scent than what was penetrating the City below. We all looked around at the forest, marveling at the beauty that the world still had left in it.

Runo said, "We sat up here for all those days waiting for you guys, and even then the forest didn't look like this while we were here." Dan, Feliciana, and I never got the chance to see the forest when we first arrived at the fence. Mainly because we, along with the others that went with us, left to fight in the City in the midst of rain and darkness.

I then thought about the friends and families of those who went and didn't return. How would they react knowing that they died? Sure, they would grieve with their death, but how else would they react? Would they blame us for not keeping them safe? There wasn't much we could do to help them. Feliciana took in a deep breath of the air and said, "We need to get going. It's a long walk up."

_No One_

The doctor ran through the hall of the prison, freeing those who had been held captive by the Officials. The imprisoned people ran from their cells, cheering with pure joy. He then turned and dug around in a bag that he had told the others were supplies for himself in case he was in a bind and couldn't return to his home, and pulled out rifles and other guns that he had taken from fallen Officials one night.

He saw all their faces in his mind from when they thanked him and said their goodbyes. A part of the doctor wanted to go with them, to see and get a taste of the freedom that had driven those young adults to live and beat the odds. But he had other plans in store. He handed guns to the prisoners, people who had once been enjoying their life in the City.

Their eyes were different. Changed with the truth that had hidden from them for so long. They took the guns without any hesitation. The doctor could see that they wanted their revenge. Not only for themselves, but for those they watched die before their very eyes.

The monsters who had caged them, were about to be caged themselves. The doctor only hoped that they were enough to go up against Isis and her pack of Officials. Ammo was being distributed to the prisoners. The doctor hoped that they had enough manpower to go up against their enemy.

He had gone by the traitor Officials' headquarters and told him of his intentions. They believed him and supplied him with the ammo. The doctor then explained to the leader, Erich, of his plan. They would gather at the Courtyard and do a full on attack on Isis's headquarters.

The two agreed to the plan and set the time for high noon, which was creeping up on them. "Move out! We have to hurry to the Courtyard!" he shouted. The mob of people ran from the prison, shouting and cheering as they began to get their sweet revenge. They charged and rounded the corner, entering the Courtyard. On the other side was Erich and his band of Officials.

The guards who were guarding Isis's headquarters looked back and forth as the two armies swooped down on them. They didn't know what to do, and somebody from Erich's side shot them down. With the sounds of the gunfire, the doctor saw out in the distance that her Officials were running to their leader's help.

But as Erich's Officials ran rampant through the headquarters, he knew that no amount of help could save their sadistic leader. The two sides clashed in the streets, firing at each other and even turning to hand-to-hand combat. "Stop!" shouted a voice. Everyone turned to watch Erich dragging Isis out of the headquarters.

Blood was coming from somewhere on her head, and a bullet wound was in her shoulder. It had been Isis who shouted the order for the fighting to stop. She was shivering when she yelled, "Stop the fighting! We've lost my Officials…..We've lost." Cheers erupted from the crowd on Erich's side.

They then turned and began to take the guns from the stunned Officials of Isis's side. None of them could believe that they lost, when just two nights ago they were so certain they had won. The prisoners and traitor Officials began to tie up Isis's Officials and drag them away to the prison that had housed innocent people not two hours ago.

They would face the punishment of their crimes; execution. But the first to go would be Isis. The leader always goes first. The doctor smiled up at the mountain and said to himself, "Things are fine down here, but I'm sure they're better up there." He turned around and joined the cheering, and he thought about the Outcast who had told him to see to it that the right side won. And it did.

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><p><em>chapter title based off the song Revolution by Trading Yesterday. <em>there's probably one more chapter. maybe two at the most. most likely one. sorry if the ending is difficult to understand. o.o it worked better in my mind. i'm sure you get the premise though. well, read, review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~


	53. Sounds Of Freedom

_Shun_

Feliciana wasn't lying when she said we had a long walk ahead of us. It felt like the mountain wouldn't end anytime soon, but I knew better. I knew we'd make it up there eventually. Below us, the City had exploded into gunfire not long after we reached the mountain and started up.

Dan said, "It's probably just more Officials firing at each other. Let's keep moving." We ignored the gunshots and kept on our way. The trees thinned out the higher we got, and were replaced by rocks and old goat paths. Murucho said, "Looks like our only choice is to follow one of the paths to reach the summit."

The other option was climbing over a stretch of mountain that was nothing but jagged rock and fissures. Odds were that the other survivors went along this path as well, so it was our safest bet. The path was narrow, and the only way to walk on it was in a single file line.

Even then, one had to watch their footing, or else they would find themselves tumbling down the mountain. And it was a decent drop to the ground. Feliciana was at the front of the line, then Dan, me, Alice, Murucho, Runo, and Julie.

In the front, Feliciana said, "We should reach the summit when we round that corner." She and Marquis had left while the rest of us stayed behind in the City to fight. This was even before Brunswick was shot and we escaped the umpteenth time. During that time, she was scaling the mountain with our old friend in order to return to the few people she had left from her homeland.

The only reason Marquis went with her, was because Brunswick demanded it due to the state of his mind. So, Feliciana had gotten higher up this mountain that any of us, giving us a human map to follow. She told us, "This was where I turned around." I looked back down at the Wastelands.

When she showed up during our fight with Nero, she had explained that she saw the events unfolding from the mountain. Sure enough, there was a clear view of where our group was. "Marquis was the one who said he saw the summit around this corner. So, I'm just taking his word. Oh, and watch your step. The path gets narrower."

All of our backs were pressed against the rock wall behind us as we shuffled along the path. I couldn't imagine the time and chaos that had to of occurred as the survivors made their way through here. There weren't that many, but there were still more of them than us.

I glanced down at the ground that kept getting further away from us. There was freshly broken off rock down there. I looked at the path we were walking on, and saw that the edges of it looked as if they had been chipped away at. It then occurred to me that this path wasn't naturally narrow, but falling apart.

I could see the people we brought from all over the Wastelands walking along here, then part of the ground breaking off and taking several people with it. I stretched my neck out some and saw completely over the ledge. I could just make out the shapes of a couple of bodies way down below.

My theory had been right about the ground falling away. The survivors who weren't fortunate enough to make it through this last stretch of their journey, ended up right there. I felt sorry for them, but it had to be a much less painful death than what they would have received at the hands of the Officials.

The wind picked up as we neared the corner. Step by step, we got closer. I took another step, then felt a piece of the ground vanish from underneath. I started to fall from the narrow ledge and screamed. I then felt something grab onto my hand. The momentum from my almost fall caused me to slam into the side of the ledge below, but I was no longer falling.

My heart was racing with adrenaline from almost joining the poor souls below me. I looked up and saw Dan had been the one who caught me. He was struggling to hold my weight, so the others joined in and helped the pull me up. Back on the ledge, I latched onto the rock wall, afraid that I'd fall again if I stood up. Runo asked, "Are you okay?" Alice was holding onto my hand.

It must have given her some comfort in knowing that if she held on, I wouldn't fall off again. I looked up at the others. They all had wide eyes filled with shock and a fading fear. I nodded and said, "I'm fine." I turned my attention to Dan, who was rubbing his wrist.

"Thanks," I told him. He could have let me fall, but instead he caught me. "Just think of it as me repaying you for all the times you've saved me." I remembered how not too long ago, he would have loved to see me dead. But now that had changed. He didn't see the Outcasts as vermin that needed to be eradicated from this world. I might even have thought he saw us eye to eye. As equals.

Or even friends. Him and Alice helped me stand up so I wouldn't fall off again. Julie said, "Okay, let's hurry and get to the other side before somebody else falls off." We hurried around the corner and up a slight hill. Finally getting off of that goat path, filled me with relief. We stopped at the top of the hill.

It was the summit of the mountain, and below us was the place that was so highly sought after by us. Fog blocked our image of the world in front of us, so we walked down the new side of the mountain until we could see. The fog was cleared away, but thick trees and underbrush blocked everything now.

The only place that was free of the thick foliage, was a path where it had been trampled flat by the footsteps of people. We were on the right path. Not too far ahead of us, there was an opening in the trees and brush. It curved like an archway, and light filtered in from the other side of it.

It took a moment for our eyes to adjust to the new light, but when it did, we were surprised. Or more like awestruck would have been closer to what we were feeling. Bright grass made a sea of green, trees dotted the flat stretch of land.

Mountains formed a shield around the place from all sides, as if to protect this peaceful place. Coming from one of the mountains, was a waterfall that dropped off into a massive lake. It wasn't like the one that Brunswick and his friends fished in, but it was close. "You guys made it!"

We jerked our attention from our new surroundings, to Marquis. He left a group of people he was speaking with and ran towards us. His eyes scanned over our group. He then asked, "Brunswick…..Is he?" Dan nodded and told him, "He died by saving me from a bullet."

I could see the loss in Marquis's eyes. He had already lost people that he knew, the one person who he considered his brother, and now one of his closest friends. How much more could one man lose, and not go mad? He hung his head low, then brought it back up with a smile.

"That sounds like something he'd do." Was he being honest about this, or was it just the effects of the shock? Only time would tell us the answer to that. I looked around. The survivors had already started to cut down trees and build themselves new homes and lives.

It would take some time, but I had seen firsthand the determination these people had. It had made sure they lived to see this place. I noticed Feliciana was staring wide-eyed at something. She even dropped the rope weapon that hadn't left her hand since she came back to help us. I asked, "Feliciana? What's wrong?" A tear came out of the corner of her eye, and she took off and shouted, "Christina!"

I watched as a familiar face turned around to see who was shouting her name. I whispered to myself, "She's alive. Christina's alive." Christina saw her sister running towards her. Feliciana slammed herself into her, and wrapped her tightly in her arms. I ran towards them now. I stopped in front of the reunited sisters and said, "I thought you were dead."

Last I had seen her, I was leaving her and the others in the hands of the Officials. I asked, "How'd you get away?" Feliciana was still holding her when she said, "I was forced to by some of the elders. After you left, they demanded I go and take the kids with me, and I did."

I looked around and finally saw the orphaned kids that I had helped Christina take care of back in the Wastelands. They noticed me and ran at me. Alice and the others walked up behind me. One of the kids shouted, "It's Shun!" I was tackled by them. But I wasn't the only one. Alice was also attacked by the squealing kids. They remembered her from the few times she had been out in the Wastelands.

I was sitting on the ground and laughing. I was sure they had been killed, that they were dead because of the Officials. But they had been safe all this time. Although, that still didn't change the fact that the other Outcasts had been killed. Feliciana still had Christina wrapped in her arms.

The two hadn't seen each other in years, and Feliciana thought her sister was dead as well. "I'm so sorry," said Christina. Feliciana looked at her and said, "Don't be. What happened back then doesn't matter now. What does is that you're safe and alive." They finally broke their hug.

Neither one of them had dry eyes. Alice and I finally pulled the joyful kids off of us and stood up. We were still laughing, while Dan and the others stared at us with confusion. Alice shook her head and said through a laugh, "I'll explain later." Marquis came running back to us and said, "Miss Alice, somebody wants to speak with you." Our laughter stopped, and we exchanged a look. She asked, "Who?"

Marquis stepped to the side and revealed an old man that had been standing behind him. Alice's eyes grew wide and she said, "Gr-Grandfather?" Surprise showed on all of our faces. We all thought he had been taken away and killed by the Officials before they had even started to come after us.

Alice ran to him like Feliciana did Christina and hugged him, burying her face into his chest and crying. Between him, Christina, and the kids, I felt like I was surrounded by ghosts. "Grandfather, I thought the Officials killed you. I thought they killed you," she said through sobs.

He told her with a smile, "Your old man has more tricks up his sleeves than you think." Alice smiled through her tears and laughed. She asked, "But how?" She broke the hug with him and wiped a stray tear away. He told her, "You have to remember that me and Howe were the ones who made the map for when this would happen. The two of us had escape routes planned out through the entire City in case something were to become of us."

Howe and his wife were the reason we were alive right now. If it hadn't been for them, we would have been killed long ago. Alice's grandfather waved to us. Julie threw her arms up and said, "I'm so happy you're alright, Grandpa!" The silver-haired girl ran and hugged him.

The old man tried to pull her off and said, "I'm happy to see you too, Julie. Now, if you don't mind, I can't breathe." Julie let go of him and apologized, then ran back over to Dan and the rest of us. The old man turned and looked at me.

"You must be the Outcast that there's been so much talk about," he said. I looked around to see if he really was talking to me. "Yes, you," he said. I was surprised that anyone would be talking about me. Positively, at least. I told him, "I guess so. I don't know."

He laughed and said, "Quit being so modest. These people haven't stopped talking about the bravery you and your _friends_ have showed during all of this. At the lake, up North, and even in the desert. You all are heroes in their eyes." I looked behind him and met the eyes of the survivors.

They sparkled with gratitude and admiration. I told the man, "Well, I don't think any of us intended to become heroes." The man raised an eyebrow, but still smiled. He asked, "Then what did you intend to happen?" I thought for a moment, then looked at Alice. I smiled and said, "To stay alive."

Her grandfather nodded and said, "Sounds good enough to me. I'll leave you all be and let you explore this place so you'll get adjusted to it." The man turned around and walked off with Marquis. That night, we were out in the massive field and laying around a fire.

Our group had become very close with the end of this war. They were all asleep, and only Alice and I were awake. We were looking up at the stars, pointing out things that we thought they made. She had talked and talked for hours about how happy she was that her grandfather was alive.

I didn't have to say anything to let her know how happy I was that part of my old life had also made it. She already knew. I looked at her and smiled. Next to me, was a life that I could actually enjoy having now. A life that would bring happiness to both of us. She looked at me and smiled.

I leaned over and kissed her on the lips, feeling a jump in my chest when I did so. I looked down at her and said, "Goodnight." She said it back to me and laid her head against my chest. Both of us quickly drifted off. Days and nights of fearing for our lives were gone, and now replaced with new times of safety and comfort in each other's company.

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><p><em>chapter title based off the song Sounds Of Freedom by Within Temptation. <em>sorry for not uploading the past two days. we've been cleaning out a room and painting it, and it's been an all day long process. but the room looks awesome :D next up is mine. o.o wish us luck. and i do hope you all enjoyed the ending. it's been another great pleasure to write this story. :) read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


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